Mykala Walker’s message for the Orange community about is one she says is often repeated by head coach Felisha Legette-Jack: See it through.

Walker, who was of Syracuse women’s basketball in October, has in collegiate basketball, from playing at Wake Forest University to coaching at Arizona State, University of Delaware and Georgetown University.

Now, she’s excited to be back in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), joining the Orange and being on the frontline at a time of pivotal growth in women’s basketball.

“I love what we’re able to do for players these days,” she says. “We’re putting them on a platform to help them be truly successful long after they take off their Syracuse jersey for the last time. You’re always going to be an Orange when you leave here, but it’s an exciting time to elevate and help these kids launch into their futures.”

And in the meantime, she says the Orange community has a part to play as the team, which has won 10 of its first 11 games, continues its season.

“We need you to come here, sit with us,” she says. “See it through, and know we’re going to fight. We fight here at Syracuse.”

Below, Walker shares more about her vision for continuing to build the program.

��was 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.

�ճ����‘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 a�� 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.

As a “serial entrepreneur” and interactive marketer, has applied his across varied careers. More recently, he has worked with global audiences in a dozen countries, sharing his knowledge of the creator economy.

A 1980 graduate of the , Branagan returned to the school in 2011 to found the and teach media innovation courses.

The center runs the , a where students test digital content and media ideas and connect with faculty and media mentors and entrepreneurs. Branagan has also launched student startup competitions, entrepreneurship programs, the interactive series “” and ��, a seed fund for tech hub startups. He coaches numerous startups and venture funds.

Branagan’s global journey began with a 2021 grant to help universities in Estonia create media entrepreneurship programs. Affiliated with Tallinn University’s Baltic Film and Media School, he spent two months in 2022 conducting workshops, making presentations and immersing himself in the country’s startup scene.

He returned to Estonia to keynote the 2023 -Net Summit on Media Entrepreneurship. The organization is comprised of European university professionals focused on improving research into and teaching entrepreneurship teaching for the screen media industry.

More speaking requests followed. He has since spoken to journalism students in Belgium, government officials and business leaders from across the African continent in Ethiopia, sports leaders in Ireland, media researchers in Lithuania, corporate communicators in Germany, musicians in Slovakia and policy makers in the United Kingdom.

He has also participated virtually at universities and conferences in India, Nepal and South Africa, and is teaching creative entrepreneurship in a virtual format to 500,000 high schoolers across India, Indonesia and the Middle East. Recently, he traveled to the U.K. to brief members of Parliament on the creator economy and existing technologies as they considered a bill proposing to ban cell phones in schools. In December he (along with Newhouse Professor and other education technology and government leaders) will address hundreds of top students at the at in Coimbatore, India.

We asked Branagan about those experiences, his reaction to questions he receives from media innovators worldwide and how his global work impacts his teaching.

When junior , an environmental engineering major in the , was growing up, her parents taught her the sensibility of re-using goods, thrifting what she needed and making the best use of everything she had. Around her Bentonville, Virginia, home, she picked up things at auctions, thrift stores and even out of the garbage. “Dumpster diving,” something she had wanted to try, became part of her routine once she arrived at Syracuse University.

One day, a Department of Public Safety officer stopped Lubkemann at a campus dumpster and asked for identification.�� After confirming her student status, the officer recounted how the night before, he’d ejected a man who wasn’t a student for doing the same thing Lubkemann was doing.

“That was one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had, not only at the University but in my life,” Lubkemann explains. “To me, it was so unjust that a piece of plastic set me apart from others who might need things.” She says she recognized that removing the person from the scene “might have been the difference between a man and his dinner.”

After that incident, Lubkemann began to reflect on her privileged student status and the injustice that she could access found objects on campus while others were barred from obtaining those throwaway goods. “I grew up very privileged, but I was instilled with the value of not taking more than you need. There are things in the garbage that aren’t actually garbage. A lot of stuff is thrown away before its expiration date,” Lubkemann says. “I found my calling in environmental engineering due to the critical shortage of professionals in the field and by a passion for sustainability, which I see as not just an environmental issue but also a social and economic imperative.”

A ‘Revamped’ Idea

After observing high levels of textile waste on campus and how those without a vehicle have limited access to donate clothing or buy affordable used things,�� Lubkemann devised the idea for her business, “.”

Her company is a research-based, pioneering, sustainability-driven mobile enterprise redefining textile waste management through a mobile thrift store and donation hub, currently operating from a repurposed minibus. It takes in discarded yet valuable textiles from their point of disposal and offers an accessible, community-centered solution that diverts waste from landfills while ensuring that high-quality secondhand goods remain in the local economy.

Lubkemann spoke about her idea with ,�� Syracuse University Libraries strategic initiatives advisor and a faculty member in the . She encouraged Lubkemann to submit her idea for a mobile donation center/thrift store/re-distribution hub in the competition. Lubkemann then developed a 10-page business plan, entered the competition and won $5,000.

“I never thought anyone would find interest in this; I thought it was a pipe dream. Who would think a top U.S. university would invest in such a small idea? But Linda gave me the confidence to pursue it, and that was one of the things that totally launched me into this initiative. I like to say Revamped was born from a dumpster, which gives me hope any idea or dream can take shape if you work towards it. It’s really taken off from there,” she says.

Adding Funds, Growth

Lubkemann has continued to refine and grow her company and gain funding. She has won $25,000�� from campus competitions since November 2024, including the at the , a award, the and research monies. Her achievements include the following:

• Obtaining a DBA (“doing business as”) certificate and starting a limited liability corporation (Ava Lubkemann LLC).
• Acquiring a minibus and outfitting it to serve as mobile thrift shop/donation center.

  

• Establishing a account for potential investors.
• Hosting pop-up sales, cross-campus co-branding events and creating a to distribute on campus.
• Researching textile waste distribution to define more community re-distribution channels.
• Contacting local businesses seeking storage space for additional collected items.
• Ideating two podcasts about Revamped and sustainable living.
• Asking the Sustainability Management group to add sustainable entrepreneurship student ambassadors.
• Contacting George Washington University and Lewis and Clark College to gauge their interest in replicating the Revamped program.

That’s hardly Lubkemann’s limit. From finding goods, to reworking and repairing them, to setting up the mobile store and planning distribution points, she does most of Revamped’s work herself, helped by , the company’s marketer, a student in the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Ava is also a resident advisor, entrepreneur-in-residence at the�� student business incubator, a part-time Orange Innovation Scholar worker and a research fellow on the ’s Carbon Capture Team. She continues to enter competitions such as and present at the . She’s also taking 17 course credits.

The Long View

The busy student has no shortage of vision, either. Lubkemann envisions expanding the company and hopes its success lets her form a 501C3 nonprofit organization to funnel a mass accumulation of textile waste to people who really need it.

“That’s what matters to me, trying to make a positive impact in the community. I was raised on the principle, ‘Wherever you go leave it a better place than you found it,” Lubkemann says. “I think that’s the core of making Revamped what I want it to be—a community-oriented program that connects universities with their communities and advocates for the little guy and people who are in need.”

Goods can be purchased from Revamped’s Instagram page, listing, or soon-to-launch website, revampedthrift.com. Lubkemann also plans to announce future campus sales and events via those avenues.

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 the��. He remains one of the most talented����in 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 ��on 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 .

The trajectory of the is what Hollywood makes movies about.

“When I joined [in Fall 2021] there were only six other people on the team,” says Amanda Wheeler, a senior at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and co-president of the women’s ice hockey team. “For our games we had to borrow players from other teams because we often didn’t have enough [of our own] to start the game.”

Now, in the Spring 2025 semester, the team is fresh off of an undefeated (20-0) season and celebrating their recent win at the Women’s National Championship, a conference the team joined this academic year. “In the short time that I’ve been here, the team went from a relaxed, low-level program to one of the best women’s club hockey programs in the country,” says Elise Herrick, a junior at SUNY ESF and co-president alongside Wheeler.

Taking the team from a casual approach to being national champions in such a short amount of time is a credit to both the coaching staff and the players themselves. Christina Beam began coaching the team two years ago, and within those two years, she noticed the drive and commitment within the team change.

“The players are passionate about the game of hockey and the commitment to each other and the program,” says Beam. “At the end of last season, we did an ‘end of the year’ meeting with each of the athletes. We took their feedback seriously and developed a plan for this season. We shared our plan and expectations early on; this allowed us to all be on the same page and develop the program together.”

Along with implementing player feedback into the team strategy for the 2024-25 season, joining the AAU may have been the special ingredient needed to help the team truly take off. “Joining the AAU this year gave the team an opportunity to compete for a title; it may not sound like much to some, but to have an end goal is huge when you play competitive sports,” says Beam. “The women took our commitment seriously and it is evident by the season we played this year.”

The Orange completed their 2024-25 season in the College Hockey North Women’s Division undefeated, easily securing their place in the AAU National Championship, held March 6-9 in Jacksonville, Florida. But clinching a spot in nationals didn’t mean the work stopped.

“We spent a lot of time before the tournament setting expectations for ourselves, working our on-ice systems and mentally preparing for the games,” says Herrick. “We had never played [some of the teams], so we had no way of knowing how good they were going to be, but we knew that we had the skill to beat any team we faced as long as we played our game and stayed focused.”

Along with perfecting their skills on the ice, the team had to block out naysayers. “Despite being undefeated, there were a lot of people who didn’t think we would win, with some predicting that we wouldn’t even make it to the championship game,” Herrick says. “But the negative attention fueled us and made us even more determined to win.”

After winning their playoff games, including a close call against their opponent in the championship game , the University of Tampa, the team was nervous to get on the ice, but still as focused as ever on winning a title. “The score from that game [against Tampa the day before] was close and we all knew that Tampa would be coming out hard [in the championship] because of that,” says Wheeler. “I don’t think anyone [on our team] sat down during the entire game. It was constant cheering, singing and dancing, no matter what the score was. We just needed to calm our nerves and keep the energy up.”

The strategy to “keep the energy up” was a winning one. Near the end of the game. Ivy Dietrich ’27, assistant captain and a member of the team’s first line, scored a short-handed, empty net goal to put Syracuse up 4-2 and secure the championship. “It was a real full-circle moment for me since I’m the only person still on the team from that original seven-person roster,” says Wheeler. “Being there holding the trophy with everyone who’s helped build this team and supported us for the past few years was incredible.”

The team is already planning how to keep the momentum going into next season. “We keep moving forward, we continue to build on what we’ve done right and work on things we’d like to do better,” Beam says. “We stay humble, committed and remember the joy we get from playing ice hockey.”

As Herrick prepares to move into her senior year and assume full presidential duties, she wants to see the team continue to flourish, both on and off the ice. “I hope that we can maintain the values of our program and continue to provide a welcoming environment for female hockey players looking to continue their careers and find a supportive community,” says Herrick. “One of the most important parts of a hockey team is the energy, and I want us to continue having good energy for as long as the program is around.”

Students interested in joining the women’s club ice hockey team can learn more on the .

Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer ��has announced the reappointment of as dean of the for a five-year term. The reappointment follows a comprehensive review process that included feedback from key stakeholders, including Newhouse faculty, staff and advisory board members.

“Dean Lodato took the helm of an already strong school and managed to make it even stronger,” Provost Agnew says. “His energetic and collaborative leadership and his emphasis on innovation, industry partnerships and an exemplary student experience have marked his five years as dean and led to many wins for Newhouse.”

Lodato became dean in July 2020, and his tenure has been marked by dynamic forward motion, expansion and success in several key areas for the school.

He was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the (IDJC) in Washington, D.C., to create new knowledge, foster a more informed and engaged citizenry and better equip students for success in media, communications, policy, governance and citizenship. He also established the undergraduate program, which dovetails with the work of IDJC and further strengthens Newhouse’s robust study away offerings, which also include and .

Under Lodato’s leadership, the school , making a Newhouse education more accessible to new populations and serving as a model for other Syracuse schools and colleges looking to expand online undergraduate education.

Lodato also spearheaded the creation and renovation of several learning spaces at the school. These include the , which provides co-working and co-location space to media and tech startups who want to work with talented Newhouse students, and the new , a hub for undergraduate and graduate students interested in a career in sports communications.

He has increased investment in research and creative activity, which has resulted in more than $7.3 million in sponsored research funding, and articulated the goal of strengthening the connection between communications and technology, particularly through .

Early in his time at Newhouse, Lodato implemented salary equity across Newhouse professional and support staff and faculty. He also has overseen a 17% growth in the faculty, representing a more diverse population.

“Working with the stellar faculty and staff of the Newhouse School has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and it has been my honor and privilege to serve as dean for the past five years,” Lodato says. “I am excited to continue our work together as we expand and realize our shared vision for the future of the school as a place that provides students with the best possible education and training for careers in communications. And I know that collective work is what makes Newhouse the top communications school in the country!”

Lodato joined the Newhouse School after more than 14 years at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he served as associate dean and associate general manager at Arizona PBS. He previously spent 16 years as an award-winning television reporter and anchor for network affiliate television stations in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Phoenix and Fort Myers, Florida.

The chemistry of U.S. rivers is changing—and will change further in complex ways in different regions of the country. Scientists are exploring ways to predict future changes in watershed chemistry, which could improve managing them for climate change and community health.

University researchers are combining traditional geochemistry with artificial intelligence to predict how alkalinity—a measure of a solution’s ability to neutralize acids—and salts in rivers around the country could be affected by further climate warming and population growth, according to a study published in .

The research team was led by��, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Wen also directs the���������Dz���dz���𳾾����ٰ�����And eN�������DzԳ���Գٲ�����D���ٲ���Sciences (HANDS) and��Noble Gases in��E�����ٳ���S����ٱ𳾲���Tracing (NEST) research laboratories.

An excess of salt can make water undrinkable, increase the cost of treating water and harm freshwater fish and wildlife.

Past research shows that as salt levels in U.S. rivers have gone up, these waters have also become more alkaline, which can damage water, wastewater treatment and aquatic life. Increased alkalinity is occurring because of rising temperatures and more rainfall. Human activities, such as more people living in certain areas, might also contribute to it.

Yet alkalinity is also beneficial. When river waters are more alkaline, they help draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and limit climate warming over time. However, before rivers can be harnessed for this purpose, researchers must first understand the basic chemistry at play.

Using machine learning models, the Wen team projected how salinity—measured through sodium levels—and alkalinity will change in 226 U.S. rivers between 2040 and 2100 under different climate and human population scenarios.

In northern states, rivers would become less salty because warmer winters mean less salt will be applied on icy roads. However, in the South and West, where people don’t use much road salt, river salinity will likely stay the same. But as these areas get hotter and drier, more salt from the soil might accumulate and wash into waterways.

The study also found that rising temperature can affect alkalinity. In watersheds rich in carbonate rocks, such as limestone, researchers found that alkalinity flux—the product of the natural breakdown of rock minerals—declines when temperatures surpass 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). This finding suggests that warming past a certain temperature level could suppress alkalinity in rivers.

However, in watersheds dominated by silicate rocks or organic carbon, higher temperatures accelerate silicate weathering and the decomposition of organic material, leading to increased alkalinity levels. More rainfall can also increase the amount of these chemicals in rivers, but only up to a certain point.

In the future, some watersheds with lower alkalinity could be manipulated to take up additional alkaline from watersheds, allowing rivers to sequester more carbon from the atmosphere.

For this and other multidisciplinary research, Wen received a 2025��. The award highlights excellent work by independent researchers in their early career that bring new insights into the field of geochemistry or to promote geochemical applications.

Visit the ��to read the full story.

Story by John H. Tibbetts

�ճ������is now the home of Healthy Monday, a signature public health campaign that aims to reduce the risk of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Monday as a “fresh start” by offering resources for individuals and organizations to adopt healthier habits each week.

The move is part of a wider reorganization announced by the Lerner Center and The Monday Campaigns.

The Lerner Center, which was established at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2011��with a gift��from alumnus Sidney “Sid” Lerner ’53 and his wife, Helaine, now houses Healthy Monday digital materials and programming on a newly designed��. It will also initiate a broad campaign through social media, newsletters and other platforms, and implement signature programs that leverage Syracuse University’s expertise in health promotion. Students will continue to be involved in developing and implementing programming aimed at improving population health.

The restructuring follows����to the Lerner Center and Syracuse University’s Forever Orange Campaign by Helaine Lerner in 2023 and ensures the future of The Monday Campaigns’ beloved global health campaigns. While the Lerner Center will now own Healthy Monday, the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore will launch a new��. In addition, New York University Langone Health will launch��.

This��marks a new phase of growth for The Monday Campaigns and its programs, founded in 2003 by Lerner, an advertising and marketing innovator who died in 2021 at the age of 90. A legend in the advertising business, he helped create the “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin” campaign featuring Mr. Whipple for his client, Procter & Gamble. He applied his gift for developing a simple and compelling message to improving public health after a conversation he had with physicians about the need to cut back on dietary saturated fats. His Meatless Monday campaign became a global health phenomenon, reportedly convincing two-thirds of Americans to reduce meat consumption. In 2006, it morphed into the Healthy Monday movement in partnership with universities, workplaces, schools and communities.

“Sid’s original vision was to create initiatives that anyone could pick up and shape for their own institutions and lives, or as Sid said, ‘take my campaign please,’” said Dana Smith, campaign director for The Monday Campaigns. “Twenty-two years later, institutional partners and advocates worldwide have embraced Monday as—also in Sid’s words—‘the day all health breaks loose.’ We’re excited for the next chapter of this movement, anchored to trusted and leading academic partners.”

Through Healthy Monday, individuals and organizations use turnkey program guides or design their own programs to commit to better health every Monday.��Research shows that healthy thinking and behavior are synchronized with the week, with Monday being the day people are most open to positive changes.

“Healthy Monday is a dynamic, adaptable campaign that helps people start their week off right,” said Casey Collins, digital specialist for the Lerner Center. “As everyone from students to health professionals look for ways to achieve better health and well-being for themselves and the population as a whole, Healthy Monday has tremendous potential. We’re excited to move this important public health initiative forward.”

Guided by the principles of scientific rigor, equity, justice, community engagement, and multidisciplinary and multi-institution collaboration, the Lerner Center’s mission is to improve population and community health through research, education, outreach and health promotion programming focused on the social, spatial and structural determinants of physical, mental, and behavioral health and health disparities.

Over the past several years, the Lerner Center has launched numerous health promotion programs and community partnerships, including the Monday Mile walking routes developed in partnership with the City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, local hospitals and the Madison County Rural Health Council. In 2019, the Center launched��—a six-week workshop series for undergraduate students that offers evidence-based tools to help students manage their stress and thrive while in college.

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 by sending them directly to ������Ƶ at newsphoto@syr.edu. You might see it featured here.

Coach Fran Brown with his son on the field in the JMA Wireless Dome, surrounded by players and fans, after the Orange upset Miami in their final game of the season over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of Syracuse Athletics)

As part of National Coming Out Day, students and Otto the Orange participated in a Chalk the Quad event. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and University staff members from the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) pose for a photo on the parade ground at the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC). The SBA representatives were visiting the NVRC to learn more about the IVMF’s entrepreneurship programs, post-program support and research initiatives in support of veteran small business owners. (Photo by Charlie Poag)

attended the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program at Syracuse University’s English Language Institute this summer for four weeks to participate in a variety of workshops, field trips and textual and oral communication courses before matriculating into their degree programs at institutions across the United States. (Photo by Amy McCoy)

New students move into the residence halls with help from orientation leaders, volunteers and the Goon Squad. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

Collin Capano ’05, G’11, director of the University’s new (OSPO), has been in the right place at the right time for breakthrough discoveries and innovative programming several times in his career.

His latest role is another opportunity to break new ground, and it’s also a homecoming for the double alumnus.

The OSPO is a multidisciplinary, cross-campus initiative intended to accelerate research and creative work by leveraging the use of open-source software code and adherence to open-source best practices. It is one of only about a dozen such offices operating at U.S. universities, so offers a chance to make high impact in that academic space and enhance the University’s research reputation through information and transparency, Capano says.

Also a physics research associate professor in the , Capano will continue his research in gravitational-wave astronomy while he directs OSPO, he says.

After earning bachelor’s and doctoral physics degrees at Syracuse, he gained more than a decade of experience in open-source code development and extensive experience in multi-messenger data analysis, statistics and high-performance computing. He has worked as a member of the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) Scientific Collaboration as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Maryland and as a high-performance computing facilitator and affiliate physics and math faculty member for the at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

Perhaps his most distinctive “right place/right time” opportunity came in 2015 at the in Hannover, Germany, the largest research institute in the world specializing in general relativity, where he did postdoctoral research. Serendipitously, he was among the first scientists to observe the first from a long-ago collision of black holes in space. It was a monumental discovery that confirmed part of developed 100 years prior.

Capano, who grew up in the Adirondack town of Corinth, recently discussed plans for OSPO, his current research and what that breakthrough gravitational wave detection moment was like.

What led you back to Syracuse?

I was invited to apply for the OSPO director position and it sounded very interesting. It also presented a great opportunity to be closer to family again and for my daughter to grow up near her grandparents. And the things going on in Syracuse right now—Micron coming in and the Route 81 redevelopment—are exciting. The region is beginning a Renaissance, and the University is on an upswing too. ��I’m excited to be part of the changes and see how the investment and growth plays out. It seems like a once-in-a-century thing.

What has been accomplished at OSPO so far? What’s ahead?

Over the past year, I got the office up and running. Now, I’m promoting open-source culture across the University and encouraging faculty and researchers from all disciplines to make their source code and research data available beyond campus and to the public. That transparency helps instill confidence in their research results and can gain wider recognition for the work.

We’re now developing workshops for faculty, students and staff on coding processes and tools; campuswide seminars and speaker presentations; perhaps a student code hackathon. I’m also working to have open-source code development as part of the standard considered for faculty promotions.

How did you become interested in physics research? What drew you to astrophysics and gravitational wave research?

My dad, who had a master’s degree in physics and was an electronics engineer, used to tell me fascinating things about relativity and quantum mechanics, and that piqued my interest.

In my second year of graduate school, I needed to pick a research advisor. I was a teaching assistant for a course on electricity and magnetism, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. It was also ’s first semester as a professor here, and one night we sat together as we graded exams. Duncan [now a world-renowned gravitational wave expert, the University’s vice president of research and Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics] asked if I’d like to do an independent study. I did, and I’ve stayed with it.

I already knew of the gravitational wave group and the idea of doing experimental gravity appealed to me. If it weren’t for the two of us grading exams that night, I might have gone an entirely different route. I’m very glad I didn’t; I have been part of some once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

What do your two National Science Foundation research projects examine?

My research focuses on testing basic principles of gravity and nuclear physics using gravitational waves.

explores Einstein’s theory of relativity by testing it in extreme conditions near black holes using data from the to see whether the waves match Einstein’s predictions or if they reveal unexpected patterns. involves creating a cluster of Apple computers to accelerate the search for gravitational waves using LIGO data. That can help make gravitational wave research less costly, allowing for more ambitious searches, and making it possible for more researchers to contribute to the field.

What was it like at the front line of the first gravitational wave detection—one of the greatest physics discoveries of all time?

I was at , which was affiliated with LIGO and worked closely with the Syracuse gravitational wave analysis group. On that day a couple of colleagues in the office next to mine got an automated alert about a detection of the in space. They excitedly banged on my wall; I came over and they showed me a plot of the data that showed the characteristic “chirp” signal.

We were some of the , and the moment was surreal. My first reaction, and that for many others, was that it was a mistake. The lab could simulate those signals and did so regularly to test the infrastructure. When the control room confirmed that they hadn’t done a test, that’s when the reality sank in. The whole thing was a whirlwind! As co-chair of the LIGO subgroup devoted to exactly that type of signal, I was later in charge of compiling the data analysis on the event.

[Capano was one of 1,000 LIGO-affiliated scientists whose contributions were recognized for detection of the waves, earning them the and the . In 2017, three LIGO scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery.]

What next for gravitational wave research?

It’s a very bright and exciting future. Syracuse is a big part of it. We are laying the groundwork to build the next-generation detector, Cosmic Explorer, that will be able to detect every black hole merger occurring in the universe.

Pushing the frontiers of physics can lead to new, practical things in life—like how the discoveries surrounding magnetism and electricity affected the entire modern world. My hope is that future discoveries about gravitational waves will do the same and that over the next 20 years, we’ll uncover new fundamental findings about the universe.

Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer today announced that has been reappointed to a five-year term as dean of the . Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive review process that includes feedback from key stakeholders, including ECS faculty, staff and advisory board members.

“In Cole’s nearly five years as dean, the College of Engineering and Computer Science has grown stronger on multiple counts and made great strides towards reaching a new level of excellence,” Provost Ritter says. “This is an exciting time for the college, and I can think of no better leader to shepherd the students, faculty, staff and alumni into this new era.”

Smith assumed leadership of ECS in October 2019. His tenure has been marked by several high points for the college. A massive renovation, which included multiple new lab spaces and the Allyn Innovation Center, served to modernize ECS buildings and facilities. The pending new Campos Student Center, supported by a recent $2 million gift that Smith helped secure, will further enhance the college’s physical space.

Smith oversaw the development of the new Syracuse University Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, an interdisciplinary center that brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization and robotics to advance the science of semiconductor manufacturing. He also helped launch a new master’s degree program in , as well as the .

Under Smith’s leadership, ECS research expenditures grew by 30% during the 2022-2023 academic year over 2019 levels. Enrollment, faculty size and staff size are also on track to grow by 50% in the next four years as part of a plan Smith developed. He also helped guide the college toward .

“Engineering and Computer Science is driving regional, national and international growth in areas such as advanced manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, healthcare engineering, advanced computing technologies and materials science,” Smith says. “I have never been a part of a more exciting moment at the nexus of college, University, city and national growth. What we are doing here matters and will resonate for decades to come, and it is a true privilege to have the opportunity to realize the transformational opportunity that awaits Syracuse University and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.”

Smith came to Syracuse from Clemson University, where he held positions as associate provost for academic initiatives and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering. His research focuses on integer programming and combinatorial optimization, network flows and facility location, computational optimization methods and large-scale optimization due to uncertainty or robustness considerations. In 2023, he was .

Syracuse University has announced the election of six new members to its Board of Trustees. All innovators in their fields, the new members bring diverse backgrounds and experiences as entrepreneurs, investors, executives and visionaries. The new members are Nomi Bergman, Brian D. Grossman, Stephen H. Hagerty ’91, G’93, Allegra F. Ivey G’99, Jeannine L. Lostritto ’90 and Kirthiga U. Reddy G’95,

“We are excited to welcome these new trustees, all of whom have a connection to the Orange community either though their personal experiences or through their families,” says Board Chair Jeff Scruggs. “They have each demonstrated extraordinary vision and expertise in their different fields of interest, and we look forward to their insights and service to our students and the continued growth of the University.”

“Our trustees express their dedication in so many different ways,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “They share their wisdom, their experiences and their generosity of time, talent and treasure in ensuring that we deliver on the promises we make to our students to prepare them for success. The newest trustees are joining a board that works collaboratively and effectively to strengthen our university.”

Nomi Bergman

Bergman is a senior executive at Advance and president of Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership, a subsidiary of Advance. Throughout her career, she has been an executive, investor and advisor in the communications and emerging technology space with a focus on transforming the customer experience.

Bergman also recently served as interim CEO of 1010data, a technology platform provider of decision science, data management and data analytics that was owned by the Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership and acquired by SymphonyAI. Previously, Bergman was president of Bright House Networks and helped lead the company to become the sixth-largest cable operator in the nation. She and her team provided corporate guidance, execution and oversight of technology, product and strategic partnerships across the company’s video, broadband, voice and wireless platforms.

Bergman currently serves on the board of directors for Advance’s growth investment HawkEye360. In addition, she is on the boards of Visteon and Black & Veatch, and was honored to serve as a Comcast board member. She is involved with several industry and nonprofit organizations; as a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council, The Marconi Society, Adaptive Spirit and Bridging Voice.

She received the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership in 2008. In 2011, she was recognized with Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) highest honor, Woman of the Year.

Bergman earned a B.A. in economics and statistics from the University of Rochester in 1985. Growing up in Syracuse, her association with Syracuse University runs deep. Her father, Bob Miron ’59, is a Martin J. Whitman School of Management alumnus and a life trustee. Her husband, Neal, is a 1981 graduate of the Whitman School. Bergman herself has served on the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) Dean’s Leadership Council and taught part-time as an adjunct professor. She is working to complete her own Syracuse degree, as she is enrolled in the Whitman School’s online MBA program.

Bergman lives in Fayetteville, New York, with her husband. They have three adult children, Becca (Hayworth), Dori and Allison.

Brian D. Grossman

Grossman is managing partner and chief investment officer for San Francisco-based PFM Health Sciences, a $1.6 billion health care focused investment advisor. The firm is one of the longest tenured public market life science investment funds, which focuses broadly across health sciences from small biotech firms to large global pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics companies.��The firm also has a long history of investing in hospitals, health insurance and other businesses involved in providing medical services.

Grossman was a founding member of Partner Fund Management (PFM), which started operations in the fall of 2004. Prior to PFM, Grossman spent time as an investment analyst at Andor Capital (2001-2004) and Pequot Capital (2001) where he focused primarily on the biotech industry. He started his career in 1996 at J.P. Morgan Investment in the summer of 1996.

A graduate of economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Grossman grew up in Syracuse and has strong familial ties to Syracuse University. His grandfather Lionel O. Grossman L’1916; his father, Murray Grossman ’43, G’45 (College of Medicine); and his uncle Richard D. Grossman ’51, L’55 all attended the University as undergraduates, with his grandfather, uncle and sister Sarah going on to graduate from the College of Law. His father, Murray, provided medical services for many years to the athletics department, for which he was later recognized in 2016 with a Letterwinner of Distinction Award.

Grossman now lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, Elizabeth, and three children: Brady, Zoe and Sylvie. He currently serves as co-chair of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health Executive Council, which evaluates business strategies, operations and financial performance for UCSF Health. The Grossmans are active philanthropically in their community, supporting the S.F. Ballet, Planned Parenthood, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Tipping Point and their children’s schools.

Stephen H. Hagerty ’91, G’93

Hagerty is a management consultant, entrepreneur and civic leader. He is the founder and president of Hagerty Consulting, one of the nation’s leading emergency management consulting firms that help governments, schools, hospitals, businesses and other large organizations prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Between 2017 and 2021, he served as the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, successfully leading the city through a global pandemic and social unrest. As a result of his leadership, Evanston had one of the lowest infection and fatality rates in the state and one of the highest vaccination rates.��Soon after leaving office, Evanston was named an All-American City in 2021 by the National Civic League.

Hagerty has successfully helped manage the recovery efforts from major U.S. disasters, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires. Before starting his firm in 2001, Hagerty worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for eight years building a disaster recovery practice.

Hagerty earned a B.S. degree from the College for Human Development (now the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics) in consumer studies and went on to earn an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He has served on the Maxwell Advisory Board since 2014.

Together with his wife, Lisa Altenbernd G’93, they established the ��in 2022, the Stephen Hagerty and Lisa Altenbernd Faculty Fellow Fund in 2018 and the William D. Duncombe Faculty Research Endowment in 2014. Hagerty and Altenbernd reside in Evanston, Illinois, with their two children, Caroline, a junior at Washington University in St. Louis, and Garrett, a sophomore at Evanston Township High School.

Allegra F. Ivey G’99

Ivey is a managing director at BofA Securities Inc. She has served as a public finance investment banker in the municipal banking and markets division for 15 years, primarily covering large cities, such as New York, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.

During her 25-year career, Ivey worked for PaineWebber Inc. (which became UBS Financial Services), J.P. Morgan and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She has helped state and local governments nationwide finance over $40 billion in infrastructure projects, including airports, toll roads and water and sewer facilities, among others.

Ivey earned a master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School, where she has served on the advisory board since 2017. She inspired other Maxwell graduates when she delivered the keynote speech at the 2018 convocation.

Ivey came to Syracuse University after earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University in 1997. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Matthew Brennan, and their four children, Tiernan (TJ), Ellison (Ellie), Kellan and Braden.

Jeannine L. Lostritto ’90

Lostritto parlayed her interest in architecture into her professional, personal and volunteer experiences, most recently in her engagement with the board of trustees of Friends Academy in Locust Valley, New York, an independent Quaker college-preparatory private school serving early childhood through 12th grade.

A former Friends Academy parent, Lostritto serves as a member of its board of trustees and on its Governance Committee, and helps oversee new building construction, maintenance of the campus and existing buildings as clerk of the Buildings and Grounds Committee.

With an undergraduate degree from the School of Architecture, she first took a job as an architectural consultant at Avis Rent-a-Car and on commercial architecture projects. From 1995 to 1998, Lostritto was employed in the civil engineering division at Sear-Brown—an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm—where she worked on large highway and expressway projects, such as the renovation of the Queens Midtown Tunnel, as well as drainage and landscape architecture projects.

She is currently a board member of her family’s real estate company, Steel Equities and is a member of the Board of Regents at NYU-Winthrop Hospital. Additionally, she and her husband, Glenn, actively support Syracuse University through contributions to such initiatives as the Barnes Center at The Arch and the General Supported Scholarship Fund. She is also a member of the School of Architecture Advisory Board.

Lostritto lives in Old Brookville New York, with her husband. They have three children, Domenica “Sunny” L’23, Glenn Jr. and Joseph.

Kirthiga U. Reddy G’95

Reddy is an��entrepreneur and��investor who has been at the helm of technology-driven transformations in innovative companies. She is CEO and co-founder of Virtualness, a mobile-first platform to help creators and brands navigate the complex world of Web3, and use��the power of generative AI and blockchain. She is a��founding investment partner of f7 Ventures,��whose mission is��“Bold Women Investing in Bold Ventures.” She is co-founder of Liftery, a��social impact��initiative focused on working mothers.

Previously, she was the first female investment partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers focused on frontier, enterprise and health tech investments. She was managing director for Facebook India and South Asia and then became managing global partner��and emerging markets lead for global accounts in markets, including Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Middle East.��She has also held engineering and product executive��roles at��of Phoenix Technologies, Motorola and��Silicon Graphics��Inc.

Reddy earned a master’s degree in computer engineering from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and later earned an MBA from Stanford University. She served on the ECS Dean’s Leadership Council for several years and has established the Kirthiga Reddy Graduate Scholarship in ECS.

Reddy lives in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, Dev G’94, who also attended the College of Engineering and Computer Science. They have two adult children, Ashna and Ariya.