New research in the journalÌęÌęby Maxwell postdoctoral scholar Dustin Hill, Professor of Public Health Dave Larsen and a team of researchers has found a strong connection between the prevalence of genetic variations of the COVID-19 virus and higher community transmission.

Testing wastewater to detect viruses in a community is a well-established scientific practice. But knowing the prevalence of a disease has always presented challenges, with science relying on sheer volume and concentration of virus load found to make inexact assumptions.

The team, which included colleagues from SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY College ofÌęEnvironmental Science and Forestry and the New York State Department of Health, looked closely at existing data and genomes from wastewater surveillance collected during the COVID-19 emergency, measuring genetic variation through small, insignificant changes in the virus genome, and comparing that to transmission levels.

To put it simply: they found that the more variation in the viral material in wastewater, the more people were infected.

“Not only do infections rise when diversity of the virus increases, infections decline as diversity declines,” says Hill, the study’s lead author. “We tested three different ways to measure diversity of the virus genome in wastewater, and all three measures predicted infections with extremely high statistical power.”

While the study analyzed COVID-19, this connection could change how wastewater surveillance is used not just to detect, but to measure disease transmission with implications for monitoring other diseases, including influenza, measles, polio and future viruses that may arise.

“These findings open up new areas of exploration in genetic epidemiology,” says Larsen. “We will now be able to estimate transmission from sequencing data, something that has previously not been possible.

Key Takeaways From the Study

• Genetic diversity measured in wastewater is highly predictive of community infection numbers, and superior to current methods that use concentration
• Wastewater genetic data can tell us more than just what variants or subtypes are circulating in each community
• Methods can be applied to any pathogen found in wastewater that can have genetic material sequenced

“This is exactly the kind of research Maxwell exists to support—rigorous, evidence-based and consequential well beyond the laboratory,” says Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke. “The collaboration between Professor Larsen, Dr. Hill and their partners at the New York State Department of Health is a model for how transformative research unfolds: without a roadmap, assembling the right collaborators, working through what didn’t work and ultimately arriving at findings that can make communities healthier and safer. The ability to move from detection to prediction changes what policymakers can do, and when they can do it. That’s not just scientific progress—that’s the public good.”

The research project grew from a partnership between Syracuse University, the New York State Department of Health, SUNY Upstate and SUNY ESF that began in March of 2020, in the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As the virus first spread in New York and elsewhere, Larsen proposed using wastewater to detect and monitor the virus at Syracuse University. He assembled a team of researchers from Syracuse and nearby universities to begin developing the wastewater surveillance technology that would eventually become critical to New York State’s response to the disease and developed into theÌę.

“The wastewater program was further developed in 2022 by the addition of sequencing of the detected virus, work that was undertaken by the 5-site sequencing consortium set up by the Wadsworth Center in 2021,” says Kirsten St. George, director of the Virology Laboratory at the Wadsworth Center and co-author of the study. “The sequence data generated by the consortium provided the information needed for the genetic variation analysis and transmission correlations reported in this study. Initiated to monitor circulating and emerging variants of the virus, the sequence data generated by the consortium has now proven to be a powerful tool for additional applications.”

In 2024, the New York State Wastewater Surveillance Network was designated as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Northeast Region Center of Excellence.

“The valuable partnerships the department and our world-renowned Wadsworth Center have developed with Syracuse University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and SUNY Upstate Medical University are leading to important new discoveries that are advancing our understanding of not only how to detect COVID in wastewater, but also how to analyze those samples to better predict community transmission,” says New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. “The researchers involved in this study remain on the cutting edge of scientific discovery that could change how we look at other pathogens in wastewater, including polio, influenza and measles and establishing wastewater sampling as a reliable public health early warning system for public health threats.”

This latest research, in the article titled “,” appears in the May 14 issue ofÌęScience, a leading outlet for scientific news and research.

Not everyone interested in pursuing a law degree lives in a large metropolitan area or near a bustling college town. In fact, many students enrolled in the College of Law’s hybrid online (JDi) program are located in faraway places, whether a small Alaskan city, an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or rural areas throughout the U.S.

For many of them, remaining in their communities is not just practical but purposeful due to personal obligations or a long-held desire to serve their communities.

Meet four recent graduates from out-of-the-way places who have successfully joined the legal profession through the JDi program.

Dawnelle Forsythe L’26, Oahu, Hawaii

As a native of Hawaii, Dawnelle Forsythe lives in a small city of 44,000 on the Big Island of Hawaii. Back in the early 2000s, she wanted to become a lawyer, but the only law school in Hawaii was on Oahu, and the travel and expense was prohibitive.

Instead, she went to work for the County of Hawaii Office of Housing and later the State of Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands under the , which helps provide affordable housing to qualified native Hawaiians.

However, in 2019, two pivotal events made Forsythe reconsider law school. She says the first was “fate” when she saw an article about a newly established hybrid JDi program that could enable her to earn a law degree without leaving home.

Around the same time, she accompanied her husband to observe a protest centering around the construction of a massive at the top of Mauna Kea, the Big Island’s highest mountain and an area considered sacred by the native people.

When they arrived, more than 100 protestors had formed a protective human wall in front of the kƫpunas (revered elders). The kƫpunas had sought to halt the construction of the 18-story telescope atop Mauna Kea and were blocking the road from construction vehicles, while the crowd chanted in support of preserving land put in trust for the Hawaiian people to ensure the continuation of their culture. As Forsythe watched, state troopers began removing those blocking the road.

“Some of the troopers were related to the aunties and uncles they were arresting, and many on both sides were crying together,” Forsythe says. “It was such a somber event, and it made a lasting impact on me. I decided then that I had to go to law school to be an advocate for my ‘Ohana’ (family), the people of my community.”

She quit her job at a hospital to focus on the JDi program.Ìę“Not only would it allow me to stay at home, but I was drawn to its trial advocacy program that would help me become an attorney ready to go into court and advocate for people,” she says.

Forsythe is now thrilled she found “her New York Ohana” made up of the “geniuses in her cohort,” as well as faculty she admires, including Distinguished Professor of Law Nina Kohn and Associate Dean for Academic Programs Shannon Gardner.

Forsythe is committed to soon using her law degree pro bono to help Hawaiian residents, particularly those facing land rights cases who lack money for legal representation.

“It isn’t about making money; it’s about something that will totally fulfill my heart,” she says. “I’m excited to finally reach my goal of becoming a lawyer, and I know that it would not have been possible without Syracuse Law’s JDi program.”

Sarah Frank Roberts L’22, Kenai, Alaska

There are no law schools in Alaska, so when Sarah Frank Roberts decided to pursue a law degree, she knew her options were limited. A mother of six, Roberts lives with her husband and family in Kenai, Alaska, a town of about 5,000 people, most of whom work in the fishing or oil and gas industries.

When Roberts discovered the JDi program, it seemed to be a solution. She could take classes and get her work done after her children went to sleep, and the four-hour time difference between Alaska and New York was manageable. She was accepted into the program’s second cohort since its founding in 2019.

“The experience was rigorous,” Roberts says. “There was no hiding in the back of the room when professors likeÌęÌęcould see your face up close on the screen. I certainly got the same high level of education that those in an on-campus program received.”

According to Roberts, there is a huge need for lawyers, particularly public defenders and district attorneys, in Alaska, but with no law schools, people tend to leave to go to school and never return. Roberts was able to stay because of the JDi program, and today she is an assistant public advocate and conflict counselor for the state of Alaska, focusing on family issues like custody and guardianship.

“I get to help people, many of whom have made a lot of mistakes but still deserve representation,” Roberts says.

Megan Poole L’23, Cortland, New York

Megan Poole grew up on a dairy farm in Cortland County, New York, but, knowing the challenges of farming, her parents encouraged her to pursue a different career.

After earning an undergraduate degree in criminology, Poole wanted to be a probation officer but didn’t get the position she originally intended. Instead, she says, “Rejection is divine redirection,” and decided to take the LSAT and pursue law school.

In the meantime, she was offered a job in the Cortland County Department of Social Services (DSS) as a case worker handling foster care, child protective services and adoption cases. She still wanted to go to law school, but she was “too heartbroken to leave” the difficult job of helping families in need. However, when she found the JDi program, she realized she could pursue a law degree while continuing her job with DSS and helping on the family farm.

“The JDi program was certainly just as difficult as an on-campus program,” says Poole, who enjoyed the required in-person residencies, where she was able to interact with fellow students and faculty both on-campus and in various other cities.

After completing the JDi program, she continued to work at the DSS in Cortland. About a year later, the Hon. A.L. Beth O’Connor, a family court judge in the 6^th Judicial District of New York, which includes Cortland County, reached out to Poole about being her court attorney.

“I see both the terrible and the good, but that’s part of the job,” she says. “I think I’m making a big difference in my community, particularly for people who don’t have the resources for good legal counsel, and the JDi program was a big part of making that possible.”

An added bonus of becoming a lawyer was the opportunity for Poole, her mother and sister to turn the family farm into Spring Valley Views, a woman-owned LLC, with plans to expand it into a venue and campground.

Tania Rivera Bullard L’25, Houston County, Georgia

Tania Rivera Bullard earned an undergraduate degree in psychology, figuring she would be a social worker like her mother. Instead, Rivera Bullard decided to pursue a path offered to military spouses to become a paralegal. As she studied for her paralegal certification, she started to think, “Why can’t I be a lawyer?”

Interested in being a public defender or a civil rights attorney, she was accepted into a JD at an on-campus law school that required a four-hour round-trip commute from her home in rural Georgia. However, a complicated pregnancy made it impossible, and she was forced to defer her start. Rivera Bullard began looking for alternatives and found the JDi program, which would allow her to remain with her family while pursuing a law degree.

Not long after, Rivera Bullard, then the mother of a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old, began the JDi programÌęand found it manageable. “I became a night owl,” she explains. “After the kids went to sleep, I would concentrate on asynchronous work and getting my reading done, and I spent long hours on the phone with my dear friend Nathan McKay L’26, my study partner, who made such a difference for me. It certainly was a careful balancing act, but if you’re willing to find the time, you can make it happen.”

After finishing her law degree and passing the Alabama bar exam, she went to work as an assistant public defender for the Houston County (GA) Public Defenders’ Office.

“As a public defender, you handle felony cases that nobody else wants, and, arguably, you’re experiencing the toughest, scariest times of people’s lives. I get to help them through a system that, to many, feels like it is set up to fail them,” Rivera Bullard says. “At the end of the day, I go home and feel good about the work I’ve done in my community. The Syracuse JDi program really made it possible for me to achieve my goals.”

Millions of soccer players across the globe compete on surfaces that are anything but the manicured, perfectly marked grounds of televised competitions.

Student researcher ’26 understood that across West Africa and in many other countries, soccer (known throughout much of the world as football) is played on compacted sand, gravel lots, dirt patches and worn urban grounds. The industrial and interaction design major in the (VPA) also recognized that most commercially available soccer boots fall far short of the needs of players who compete on those rough, improvised, uneven surfaces. He recognized that those playing conditions demand different performance qualities than the footwear mainstream athletic shoe manufacturers offer.

“My goal is to study these overlooked playing environments and design footwear that better supports performance, comfort, durability and accessibility for the people who use it,” Barrie says. “Ultimately, I want to show how footwear design can become more inclusive, locally responsive and socially meaningful when it is rooted in the needs of a community.”

Research ‘On the Ground’

With his research project, “Boot of Dreams: Designing Soccer Footwear for Informal Play in West Africa,” Barrie has been doing just that. His work is guided by , a professor of practice in VPA’s , whom Barrie calls “a role model whose guidance extends well beyond the classroom, shaping how I think about design, responsibility and purpose.”

Barrie is also working with , professor and director of the School of Design, who helped him secure travel funding in addition to his research stipend from the (SOURCE). Those funds enabled him to travel to Guinea for firsthand research with soccer players there.

“That was an opportunity that helped me move beyond assumptions about what players need and gain an actual understanding of their experiences,” Barrie says.

As someone who has lived in both Guinea and the United States and traveled widely around the world, Barrie brings a true global perspective to his work. It’s a viewpoint that informs his understanding of how different communities approach sport and design and deepens his insight into underrepresented players and their environments.

Careful Listening

Barrie says his research in Guinea had a major impact on the design of his soccer cleat. ÌęIn addition to learning that many players use footwear that is incompatible for their playing conditions, he also recognized that many rely on just one pair for a long period of time. When that pair wears out too quickly, Ìęit affects more than just comfort or performance; it can cause players to miss practices and games and lose consistency in development, he says.

“That insight shifted my thinking,” Barrie says. “Instead of approaching the project like a traditional cleat made mainly for formal field conditions, I began thinking about a shoe designed specifically for the realities of informal West African play
 prioritizing durability, comfort and longer wear while also considering traction and support for the kinds of surfaces these players actually use.”

Design for Real Needs

For Barrie, this project Ìęallowed him to explore how thoughtful, research-driven design can respond to real-world needs rather than simply following market trends. It also helped lead him to a career in footwear and product design that addresses community challenges and creates solutions. ÌęAn internship at last year became a “foot in the door” for a new career there; after graduation, he begins a role as a Designer II, Promo Color, Materials & Graphics DesignÌęstaff member for Nike’s Jordan brand.

“‘The Boot of Dreams’ is about creating a shoe for players who continue to defy the odds and dream through the game,” he says. “The right footwear can help young players stay on the pitch longer, practice more consistently and keep pursuing what they love.”

There is one type of stem cell that can remarkably transform itself into any cell in the human body. Known as human induced pluripotent stem cells, or hiPSCs, they hold enormous potential for medical research, and biomedical and chemical engineer is putting them to work.

In his lab, Ma uses hiPSCs to grow three-dimensional replica hearts that beat, organize and function like the real thing, opening the door to faster drug screening and more personalized patient care.

“Stem cell technology can have a significant impact on how we treat heart disease and on overall heart health,” says Ma, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the . “Our lab focuses on how we can better understand some of the fundamental questions on cardiac physiology and development.”

By studying how a heart forms during embryonic development, Ma and his research team can build miniature cardiac models that replicate the structure, rhythm and cellular makeup of a patient’s own heart.

Because the models are made from the same genetic biological materials as the patient, they offer a powerful tool for testing the efficacy—and potential side effects—of treatments for heart disease, cancer and other conditions without putting patients at risk.

In the (STEM) lab, Ma and his student researchers study how the heart forms, how different cell types build the replica’s working chamber and how that chamber develops the vascular structure that feeds the heart’s muscles.

Ma’s innovative research project, titled Engineering Stem Cell-Based Cardiac Organoids, examines the cardiotoxicity—damage to the heart muscle or valves caused by harmful substances like chemotherapy and radiation—impact on these 3D heart models. His work has been supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty.

“A drug’s adverse effect on the heart is the number one reason a treatment will be pulled from the market. We use this research to better understand the effect a drug has on the heart’s muscles,” Ma says. “This research is helping accelerate the drug screening pipelines while also reducing the resources that are poured into these drug delivery frameworks.”

Closing the Gap Between Lab and Patient

Ma says in a normal drug development platform, researchers will use two major models: a zebrafish model and mouse models, which tend to be more expensive.

Using these models, researchers will observe the potential embryotoxicity effect of the drug. Ma’s lab’s methods closely mimic the high-throughput potential and unique regenerative abilities found in zebrafish, with one significant difference.

“Our model is more human-based and is more relevant and applicable on a human scale,” Ma says. “We believe that our models have more accuracy in terms of predicting the possible toxicity effect on human tissues.”

If a patient is suffering from heart disease and is experiencing muscle loss in the heart, Ma says this form of stem cell research can help regenerate the muscles and makeup of the heart without fear of the cell tissues being rejected by the patient.

How NSF Support Helped Build a Better Heart

When Ma came to the University 10 years ago, he started his lab to create cardiac models using stem cells.

In 2020, helped Ma create a better model heart and map out the different cells in the organoids. By observing how the cells communicated with the other cells, Ma learned how these cardiovascular cells are creating better, stronger heart muscles.

A research breakthrough came in 2022. Seeking to manufacture exponentially higher quantities of stem cell components needed to advance new disease treatments from clinical trials into mainstream use, Ma received a $500,000 NSF future manufacturing seed grant.

Game-Changing Research

Ma and his team have published several papers on their findings and plan to explore how machine learning could improve their heart models, how physical forces on heart tissue affect its ability to pump blood and how their model compares to traditional zebrafish toxicity screenings.

Eventually, they want to build a system helping patients assess treatment risks based on their health history and how well a drug works.

When it comes to pregnant women, Ma hopes to classify treatments based on the patient’s risk for developing fetal heart problems and offer solutions that present a much lower risk for developing an abnormal heart.

“This is really helping us to establish ourselves in the field of cardiac organoids and embryotoxicity,” Ma says. “My students do all of the work in the lab and I’m thankful that my research has been supported by a group of talented students.”

No classroom lecture can replicate the experience of being face-to-face with the evidence of genocide. That’s the premise behind a School of Education (SOE) immersion course that brings students to Washington, D.C., to view historical records, talk with experts in human rights law and policy and worldwide atrocities issues, and experience the visual weight of bearing witness to atrocity crimes.

is a one-week, intense examination of those topics. It is both a standalone experiential inquiry excursion and a component of the SOE interdisciplinary minor, .

The course is open to any undergraduate and is led by G’03 G’07, SOE associate professor, scholar in human rights and current secretary of the . It also includes extensive advance readings, a pre- and a post-trip online class and attendance at the , which is supported by SOE alumni Lauri M. Zell ’77 and Jeffrey M. Zell ’77, who also underwrite the D.C. trip.

Multiple Dimensions

Pre-trip, students read about active international court cases, global justice mechanisms and U.S. foreign policy on atrocity prevention. Then, over six days in D.C., they met experts on human rights law and issues, including representatives of the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, Disability Rights International, the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the Syria Justice Accountability Centre, No Business with Genocide, the Simon-Skjodt Center for Genocide Prevention, the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice and former officials of the U.S. Department of State Office of Global Criminal Justice.

They also toured the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the U.S. Supreme CourtÌę and the Library of Congress. (VPA) alumna and artist ’81 hosted the group for dinner at her D.C. home and an exhibition of her work around human rights, displacement and the refugee crisis.

At Ground Level

SOE inclusive adolescent education and history major Elijah Burke ’27 calls the experience “one of the most formative weeks of my academic career,” providing “a ground-level understanding of this work unlike what I could learn in a classroom. It clarified the direction I want to take toward documentation, education, and advocacy in the international human rights space.”

Hailey Vanish ’27, a social work (SOE) and psychology major in the (A&S), says the immersion “reshaped how I view my studies and the world by emphasizing the importance of awareness, accountability and global engagement.”

Alexa Price ’28, a political science major, came to understand “not only how atrocities around the world start, but how the U.S. chooses to involve itself 
 the possibility of human rights work 
 and a glimmer of hope for a peaceful future.”

Initial Unawareness

Students are often initially unaware of historical atrocities and may not recognize how current events contribute to the potential for atrocities to occur, White says.

“Students are consistently surprised by how much they don’t know about what happened, why it happened, what the aftermath looks like, what reconciliation looks like, and the risk factors that lead individuals to commit atrocities,” White says. “They don’t know because we don’t teach human rights education in this country.”

White says that by participating in the immersion, the students are “really bearing witness to the Holocaust, antisemitism and human rights violations, and becoming aware of what companies do business with countries that are carrying out atrocities, and [recognizing] that they have an obligation not to be silent about these things anymore. It is my hope they come back with the tools to engage with these issues beyond the classroom. This will mean asking harder questions of themselves, their families and friends and their communities 
 and holding people and institutions accountable and understanding that awareness is meaningless without action.”

Hard, But Rewarding

Facing the intense subject matter head-on is genuinely hard to deal with but also deeply rewarding, White says, and students are fully engaged regarding the information they’ve taken in.

“They talk about this as an amazing trip, how it’s horrible but also kind of invigorating because this is not an abstract idea anymore,” White says. “They are learning from the people who are doing the work and realizing atrocities don’t happen in a vacuum, that there are real, material consequences of decisions that governments and policy makers make. They see that you can do something about this and they’ve been shown ways to participate in atrocity prevention.”

A&S mathematics major Leo Chen ’26 says what he saw at the Holocaust Museum hit home. “Despite being heavy, it serves as an everlasting remembrance of all the lives lost and a forever reminder to future generations of one of the darkest chapters in human history, so that we must do better.”

Those factors also resonated with Destiny Katsitsatekanoniahkwa Lazore Whitebean ’26, a dual major in communication and rhetorical studies in VPA and political science in the Maxwell School | A&S, renewing her long-standing question: “If we recognize the warning signs of genocide happening today but feel powerless or hopeless, what actions can individuals or communities take to help prevent mass atrocities?” She says the week “helped me see the many opportunities to get involved and make a difference.”

Aiden Boyer ’28, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the , says he hopes many more people are able to access the immersion, calling it “a rare opportunity, a program that is a standout in this field.”

As a Minor

The 18-credit provides a more extensive interdisciplinary look at international law, genocide crimes and social justice and human rights issues. Its overall goal is to create awareness of those issues so students can learn how to be responsible citizens in a democratic society.

Graduate students Jamea Candy Johnson ’25, G’27 and Adara “Darla” Hobbs ’26 are taking their affordable housing research out of the classroom and directly to the landlords, developers and community organizers working to solve one of Syracuse’s most pressing challenges.

Thanks to a revamped partnership with (TMR), a longstanding, community-focused series of events hosted by the , Johnson and Hobbs shared their findings directly with key public housing constituents.

The two students are conducting the research as , alongside three of their peers.

“My research focuses on the intersection of housing and health care, especially as it relates to economic stability, and this experience has only solidified that interest,” says Johnson, who is on a pre-med and pre-law track while pursuing a master’s degree in public health from the .

“We need community-driven solutions to the problems facing Syracuse. This needs to be about bringing people together from different backgrounds and perspectives and seeing what we can collectively do to address and solve the housing issue,” says Hobbs, who in May will earn a master’s degree in Pan-African studies from the .

Research With the Community, Not About It

The collaboration with TMR pushed Johnson to conduct qualitative research after engaging directly with those who provide and build housing in the city, and not just those people who need housing.

“It turned out to be one of the best ways to conduct research,” says Johnson, who works for both the Onondaga County Legislature and at the Salvation Army Women’s Shelter.

Rather than crunching numbers and visualizing datasets, the fellows conducted one-on-one interviews with each panelist before every session. They used those conversations to write discussion questions tailored to each speaker’s expertise, questions designed not just for academic audiences, but for the community members filling seats in the room.

Housing as a Health Issue

When panelists from Housing Visions—which develops large multi-unit complexes—and A Tiny Home for Good—which builds small-scale permanent housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness—described how they partner with Helio Health and Upstate Medical to bring health care directly to residents in their units, it reframed the entire conversation.

“We’re not just talking about giving people housing. We’re talking about giving people health care. Health care plus housing is going to lead to better lifelong solutions overall,” Johnson says.

It’s a point echoed by Hobbs, who was born and raised in Syracuse.

“Access to adequate health care, education and healthy food, that all comes underneath the umbrella of economic mobility,” Hobbs says.

Lived Experience as Expertise

What surprised Hobbs most through the TMR process was being recognized as an expert by many of the community leaders she had long admired and respected.

“I’m not just taking something from the panelists, they’re learning something from me as well. I do know what I’m talking about. I do have something valuable to contribute,” she says.

“Our lived experiences as locals and residents are the experiences that should be the change agents,” says Hobbs, who has spent more than a decade working in the Syracuse City School District.

Sharing Their Research Insights

Johnson and Hobbs will participate in “For Syracuse or With Syracuse? What Lender Student Fellows’ Research Reveals About Housing and Health in Syracuse” during the . The session runs from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Room 100A of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse Auditorium.

“This research program has really emphasized human connection more than anything, and I think that’s the greatest part,” Johnson says.

“Now, I can bring those collective experiences back to my community and hopefully continue to make a difference,” Hobbs says.

In 2025, Samsung Electronics had 7,054 patent grants in the U.S. alone. Apple Inc. had 2,277, and Google/Alphabet, Inc., received 1,782. And, it is estimated that more than 152,000 patent applications specifically related to artificial intelligenceÌę were recorded in the U.S. last year with Google, Microsoft and IBM leading the charge. Add to that the thousands of innovators and researchers across the country filing individual patents every day, and it’s apparent why patent agents and patent attorneys are in high demand.

The College of Law’s (ILC) received a gift from Rodney A. Ryan L’97 that will be used to officially establish a patent law program in summer 2026 to academically and financially assist students preparing for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) registration examination, commonly known as the patent bar. Passing the patent bar is a significant achievement as doing so gives students credentials to become a patent agent who can draft, file and prosecute patent applications. It is a necessary step to becoming a patent attorney.

To be eligible for the new program, students must have an undergraduate degree in science, engineering or tech-related fields; complete required coursework and be actively engaged in the ILC.

For prospective students, the program represents a rare opportunity to enter the legal profession already credentialed as a patent agent and positioned for immediate career impact at law firms, corporations and startups.

“We are very grateful for this gift, which will allow the ILC to formally establish a patent law program and reimburse students for the patent bar preparation and exam—removing a financial barrier that will open this opportunity to even more qualified students,” says Professor of Practice Brian J. Gerling L’99, executive director of the ILC. “The program is designed so students will complete the patent bar exam well before having to study for state bar exams after graduation, while also giving them the opportunity to hone those skills as a patent agent during law school.”

The patent agent law program at the ILC will also assist early stage entrepreneurs through filing of provisional patent applications, thereby avoiding public disclosure bars or risking their ideas to commercial theft.

Students Work as Patent Agents at Local Firm

Carl J. Graziadei L’26 and Madison McCarthy L’26 helped pilot the idea for the formalized program. Both have already passed the patent bar and are currently working as senior research assistants at the ILC and part-time law clerks at local law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC.

Graziadei earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering at Clarkson University and passed the patent bar right out of college. When researching law schools that allowed him to mesh his engineering background with the legal field, he discovered Syracuse Law’s ILC.

“Professor Gerling is really the reason I decided on Syracuse, as he showed me how my engineering background would be a great fit for the ILC,” Graziadei says. “He confirmed my belief that going into patent law was the right move and explained the demand was high, and the opportunities were endless in law firms, corporations and startups.”

McCarthy studied biological sciences and neuroscience as an undergraduate at the University of Buffalo and also came to Syracuse with the goal of becoming a patent attorney. While working in the ILC, she passed the patent bar as a second year student.

Both excelled through the ILC, honing their research and writing skills and building confidence communicating with actual clients, while also gaining experience through internships. Graziadei interned at Lallemand, a French company optimizing natural fermentation processes. McCarthy was an extern in patent litigation at Kiklis Law Firm, PLLC, in Virginia, which focuses on trials at the USPTO’s Patent Trials and Appeals Board, and a general counsel extern at Upstate Medical University.

“I fell in love with the faculty and the ILC because I had so much freedom and the chance to interact with entrepreneurs and innovators about their inventions through the law,” says McCarthy, who is currently editor-in-chief of the .

As third-year law students, McCarthy and Graziadei are senior research assistants at the ILC helping second years assist clients. Both are also working part-time at Bond, Schoeneck & King, using their skills as patent agents. They each have been offered positions as full-time associates at the firm upon graduating this spring.

“Because I am already a patent agent, I will be a licensed patent attorney once I pass the New York State bar, and the experience I have had through Syracuse Law has been incredible preparation,” says McCarthy. “I’m grateful to have found a program where I could combine my interests in science, innovation and the law, and I look forward to what’s ahead.”

For Syracuse University senior , research isn’t confined to a laboratory. She’s taking her work directly into the community—hosting events, screening participants and listening closely to people who have long been underserved by the health care system.

Weltman, a dual major in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and neuroscience with a minor in psychology in the (A&S), is conducting research in the under the mentorship of , A&S assistant professor of CSD.

Pei, a certified speech-language pathologist, researches ways to maximize cognitive-communication rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with traumatic brain injuries and how health communication discrimination affects their health care access and recovery.

Pei and Weltman are working in the project, “Integrating Culturally Adapted Principles in Cognitive Communication Rehabilitation,” which addresses a critical gap in speech-language pathology: the absence of culturally tailored care.

“The long-term goal of this research study is to improve speech-language pathologist therapy participation and outcomes for all clients, regardless of their backgrounds, thereby ensuring consistent healthcare delivery to all,” Weltman says.

Community Research Model

To gather insights, the research team uses a community-based model, hosting engagement events at locations such as the Westcott Community Center, Mckinley- Brighton Elementary School, Cicero Community Center, Interfaith Works of CNY and the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. Participants come from local nursing homes, YMCAs, elementary school programs and other local groups that support community centers and senior companion programs. The events include presentations on healthy aging that feature games and prizes, free cognitive screenings and opportunities to participate in surveys and interviews. Weltman then analyzes those findings and connects them to the psychotherapy adaptation and modification framework—a systematic guide used to customize standard psychological treatments to fit a client’s specific personal background.

Learning New Skills

The work has pushed Weltman to develop skills that span clinical science, data analysis and community organizing. She has learned to code interviews, extract and analyze data, develop surveys and create clinical manuals, and says these technical competencies will serve her well in her future career as a speech-language pathologist specializing in neurogenic communication disorders.

Just as important, she has learned to see the broader landscape of how health care reaches and serves all patients. She says that work has allowed her to identify specific barriers to health care and learn how to recognize how personal nuances affect speech-language therapy.

Weltman’s research is already reaching beyond Syracuse’s campus. She is preparing to submit a proposal to , a significant milestone for an undergraduate researcher.

She credits her faculty mentor with making that trajectory possible. Weltman has worked with Pei since her sophomore year and says the relationship fundamentally shaped her academic and professional path.

“From my very first assigned task, Dr. Pei has believed in my potential and supported me every step of the way,” Weltman says. “Without her and the lab, I would have never concentrated on the field of cognitive communication, which has inspired my future career.”

The (SOURCE) has also been instrumental in her work, Weltman says. SOURCE is where she first learned about the range of available to undergraduates.Ìę The office provided research project components, including a received this past year. In addition, SOURCE support such as and programming including orientations, workshops and check-in meetings, have underpinned her ongoing success, she says.

For Weltman, the research is ultimately about more than data or frameworks—it is about making sure every patient, regardless of background, has a real chance at recovery.

There was always an extra seat at the table in Jaclinn Tanney’s childhood home.

Raised in a family that emphasized helping those in need—a value shaped in part by her grandparents, Holocaust survivors who emigrated to New York after World War II—Tanney learned early that food could be an expression of dignity and hope.

That belief was tested in early 2020.

The Migrant Kitchen, a newly launched New York City catering business, faced uncertainty at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—including a canceled order for 1,000 meals that had already been prepared.

The cancellation became the catalyst for a scalable social enterprise. Rather than discard the food, staff donated the meals to a nearby hospital, feeding health care workers treating an influx of critically ill patients. Within days, demand surged.

“We went from serving 1,000 meals to all of a sudden our phones ringing nonstop,” says Tanney, who soon teamed up with The Migrant Kitchen founder Daniel Dorado. “We called upon our restaurant industry friends, many of whom were out of work because of the pandemic, and said, ‘Let’s cook together to get this food out.’”

The surge in demand prompted Tanney and Dorado to formalize what began as an emergency response into an organized, cross-sector operation—partnering with restaurants, government agencies and community organizations to prepare and distribute thousands of meals daily.

Today, Tanney serves as president of JD Meals, part of JD Enterprises, the social impact food company she and Dorado founded in 2020. Through its nonprofit arm, The Migrant Kitchen Initiative, the organization has donated 4 million meals to people in need.

“We are serving thousands of meals daily to people in temporary housing in the New York City shelter system and in emergency sites,” says Tanney, who received a bachelor’s degree in policy studies from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2005.

She notes that the workforce of roughly 100 is largely composed of immigrants, continuing the founding mission of The Migrant Kitchen. “I am proud to say our team reflects the diversity of the communities we support, and many share the lived experiences of our meal recipients,” she says. “That really strengthens our commitment to providing meals with empathy and dignity.”

Especially important to Tanney is ensuring the menus are culturally relevant to the communities they serve.

In addition to working closely with kitchen staff, Tanney coordinates with government officials, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify needs and align resources where they are most needed.

That coalition-building approach proved critical as JD Meals expanded into Philadelphia this past fall. City leaders turned to Tanney’s team to help strengthen emergency meal distribution for residents experiencing housing instability, part of a broader effort to promote recovery, stability and dignity.

That instinct to build coalitions traces back to her time at Maxwell.

Mission-Driven

As a teenager volunteering with food pantries, Tanney knew she wanted a career focused on creating change, though she wasn’t yet sure what form that would take.

Maxwell’s policy studies program helped translate that passion into practical skills.

Under the mentorship of the recently retired Professor Bill Coplin, founder of the policy studies program, Tanney developed skills in experiential learning, problem-solving and cross-sector coordination.

Tanney soaked up Coplin’s lessons and his mantra: “do good.” She learned about interconnected networks while working with Syracuse youth through Syracuse University Literacy Corps and interning with Home HeadQuarters, the Syracuse nonprofit that supports affordable home ownership and leads an annual neighborhood revitalization effort.

Through a partnership Coplin formed with the New York City Board of Education, Tanney also joined a cohort of Maxwell students working in its schools in the aftermath of 9/11. And, she interned with an international NGO in Hong Kong through the study abroad program.

Coplin says Tanney exemplifies what the policy studies program aimed to achieve. “Jaclinn was her own motivation, a self-starter,” he says. “She possessed the skills and values we emphasized—collaboration, community engagement and hands-on problem-solving. She’s not just running a business; she’s addressing systemic needs with dignity and respect. That’s exactly what we hoped our students would do.”

After earning her undergraduate degree, Tanney held various roles in fundraising and development while pursuing a master of public administration at Baruch College in New York City. Baruch offered another Maxwell connection: Its president at the time was former Maxwell Dean Mitchel Wallerstein ’72 M.P.A.

Fellow Maxwell and Baruch alumna Alys Mann ’06 says Tanney is an “incredibly talented, hard worker and makes it look easy.”

“She is mission-driven and concerned with making the world better,” says Mann, who leads a housing and community development consulting business, Alys Mann Consulting. “I admire her ability to think outside the box. A perfect example of this was her ability to pivot at the start of COVID and figure out how to feed people while the rest of the world retreated to their homes. She makes you want to be part of the solution.”

Tanney has been honored in Crain’s New York Business magazine’s “40 Under 40” list and was named a “Women Culinarians You Should Know” by The Spruce Eats. Other honors include the Organizational Hero Award from the New York City chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Two decades after studying policy studies at Maxwell, Tanney continues to embody the lessons she embraced there. What began with an extra seat at the table—and a canceled catering order—has become a model for feeding communities with dignity.

“My Maxwell experience helped me to understand that individuals can be changemakers,” she says. “I’m so thankful for my education.”

There’s warmth emanating from the Noble Room in the lower level of Hendricks Chapel every Monday night whenever classes are in session.

Every sewing machine buzzes and hums as the members of the make handmade quilts that will keep vulnerable Central New Yorkers warm during the winter months.

“Those are chaotic nights. Everybody is working on a project that will end up at one of our partner charities,” says quilting enthusiast Judy O’Rourke ’75, G’10. “It’s nice knowing you’re helping someone out, and it’s nice knowing that something I enjoy doing is giving somebody else comfort.”

O’Rourke is one of 10-15 active members of the Hendricks Chapel Quilters—consisting of students, staff, faculty and community members—who put their love of sewing to good use weekly to produce beautiful quilts.

The common threads that keep members coming back? A love of quilting, a desire to find connection and a willingness to give back to the community.

“There’s a real camaraderie around this group,” says George Athanas, the associate director for the Center for Learning and Student Success, who first joined the club 21 years ago. “This reminds me of what quilting circles and quilting guilds used to be like, folks coming together to engage with their community, meet new people and learn along the way.”

Helping Vulnerable People Feel Seen and Valued

Quilts are most frequently donated to the local chapter of , which builds beds for children in the community, to chaplains at SUNY Upstate Medical University, who deliver the quilts to terminally ill patients, and to food pantries who partner withÌę on their community outreach efforts.

During last year’s weekly meetings, the Hendricks Chapel Quilters produced 59 quilts that were donated. Each finished product is signed with a tag noting that the quilt was created with love by the Hendricks Chapel Quilters. O’Rourke says nearly 95% of the fabric, sewing machines and other materials used have been donated by generous community members.

“This reflects what service is all about, investing time and energy to make the world a better place,” Athanas says.

Besides the added source of warmth, Jennie Prouty, InterFaith Works’ community engagement manager, says the recipients are often touched by the kindness and generosity of strangers who make time to create and then donate these intricate quilts.

“These quilts are an opportunity for individuals and families in our communities, who often feel unseen, to know there are people who care deeply about their well-being,” Prouty says. “The element of them being handmade is a level of intentionality that many clients don’t typically receive.”

Made With Love

In the fall, students in Liz Lance’s one-credit honors class, Quilting for Fun and Community, learn how to quilt alongside the Hendricks Chapel Quilters, who provide support and offer advice to the novice quilters.

“This is a unique offering,” says Lance, who started teaching the course in the Fall 2024 semester. “The average age of quilters is older and retired, but here, we have 20-, 21- and 22-year-old college students learning alongside our quilting guild. Spanning that age gap and bringing these people together is the most special part about this because it represents intergenerational learning, which can be hard to find.”

O’Rourke, who started sewing in childhood, picked up quilting in 1998 as the advisor to that year’s cohort of Remembrance Scholars. Those students wanted to make a Remembrance Quilt to honor the 35 Syracuse University students who died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.

Current Remembrance Scholar Joy Mao ’26 had no prior experience quilting or sewing, so she was nervous when she walked into the Noble Room for her first class last fall.

Those nerves quickly melted away. On the first night, students were introduced to their sewing machine, which they would use throughout the semester. Mao learned about the tools she’d be using—ranging from a needle and thread to a seam ripper and cutters—and became more familiar with her machine as the course progressed.

Starting with four-by-four-inch quilting squares, Mao and her classmates are tasked with identifying the colors and patterns that will tell the story of their quilt. Each square consists of nine patches, and each finished quilt consists of 81 total squares. If time allows, students add borders, known as sashes, as filler between the squares.

During their last class, students stand before their peers and present their quilt, knowing their finished product will provide warmth to someone in need.

“You get to make with your hands and give with your hearts, and these quilts are all made with love,” says Mao, who is studying television, radio and film in the and policy studies in the . “It was great knowing we were creating something that would have an impact on and give back to the greater Syracuse community.”

The hold meetings from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday evenings when classes are in session. No previous sewing experience is required, and all materials, as well as access to a sewing machine, are provided during the club’s weekly meetings. For more information about joining or donating fabric or sewing machines, please contact Judy O’Rourke.

Growing up multiracial in the 1990s,ÌęÌęregularly encountered demographic forms that forced an impossible choice: Pick one box. Deny the others.

“That act of being forced to choose, to erase parts of myself from an official document, is at the core of this work,” says Merrin, who is an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’Ìę.

That personal frustration eventually became a methodological solution. Merrin, working with collaborators from the University of Minnesota, Yale University, Boston University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has developed CATAcode, a software tool (R package) that helps researchers across the social sciences handle demographic data more thoughtfully.

The tool is nowÌę, and its accompanying tutorial paper was published inÌę.

The Invisibility Problem

The problem CATAcode addresses is deceptively simple but widespread. When surveys ask people to “check all that apply” for race, gender identity or other characteristics, many respondents select multiple options. Researchers then face a choice: How do you handle someone who checked three boxes when your statistical model requires them to be in one category?

For decades, the default approach has been to collapse these individuals into what Merrin calls a “heterogeneous and often nonsensical ‘other’ category,” in which, for example, a Black and Asian person is treated the same as a White and Native American person.

“When we lump everyone together like that, we lose the ability to understand their unique experiences,” Merrin says. “And we make entire communities statistically invisible.”

The implications extend beyond research. These findings can inform policy decisions, funding allocations and the development of interventions designed to serve various communities. When demographic data oversimplifies or erases certain groups, the policies and programs built on that research may fail to address their needs.

Confronting the Numbers

CATAcode provides researchers with systematic approaches for exploring identity combinations in their data and for documenting how they make decisions about grouping participants. It works with both cross-sectional and longitudinal data and with any survey items that allow multiple responses.

The tool is particularly timely given that the U.S. multiracial population grew by 276% between 2010 and 2020, notes Merrin.

In a dataset of more than 8,000 high school students, CATAcode identified 85 distinct racial combinations—a figure that strongly argues against oversimplification. Using one of the tool’s features, researchers can prioritize underrepresented groups to keep them visible in analyses. In one example from the paper, this approach increased the number of Native American participants from 12 to 128.

“That’s the difference between a group being invisible and a group being present and accounted for,” Merrin says.

Broad Utility

CATAcode broadly applies to any survey item that allows multiple responses, including, for example, a person’s health conditions. This broad applicability makes the tool useful across disciplines, from psychology and sociology to public health and education.

Merrin and his collaborators hope CATAcode will push journals, funding agencies and ethics boards to demand greater transparency in how researchers represent the people they study.

“We hope this tool sparks a movement toward more transparent and equitable representations of study participants’ identities,” Merrin says. “The decisions researchers make about how to categorize people have real consequences for policy and resource allocation.”

By improving how demographic data are prepared, analyzed and reported, CATAcode supports greater transparency, reproducibility, generalizability and equity of social science research—ensuring that when people check multiple boxes, their full identities remain visible in the work that shapes our understanding of communities.

“This is a tool born from a personal wound,” Merrin says. “But I hope it offers a path toward more ethical and just research across the social sciences.”

The historic Villa Rossa has welcomed generations of University students to Florence—and a recent renovation has made it even more inviting.

University staff and Italian officials gathered Jan. 19 to inaugurate a new accessible entrance to Villa Rossa, the home of the , at the Piazza Savonarola campus.

The entryway—made possible as part of a $10 million gift by alumnus Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 and his wife, Gayle, in 2022—sits level with the sidewalk and offers more space and improved lighting to community members going in and out of the building.

Originally, visitors to the villa needed to climb two steps to enter the building through a small door. The renovation relocated the main entrance to a larger carriage door that originally provided access to the villa’s garden.

The change eliminates barriers for people with mobility impairments and offers improvements to security and operations, says Sasha Perugini, director of the Florence program.

“This renovation honors Villa Rossa’s heritage while meeting the needs of our community today,” Perugini says. “As Syracuse Florence’s home since 1959, this building serves approximately 350 people daily. The new entrance reflects our commitment to preserving the beauty and history of this space, while ensuring it is accessible, welcoming and safe for everyone who enters.”

In addition to the redesign of the main entrance, the gift made by the D’Aniellos allowed for the renovation of the welcome and front desk area and the overhaul of the building’s cafeteria, which previously had stairs at its entrance. The eating area is now directly accessible from the main entrance.

Daniel D’Aniello’s ties to Florence and the University’s campus there go back decades. He studied abroad in the city in the fall of 1966 and became one of the who worked to save Florence’s artistic and cultural heritage after a devastating flood.

He was given the Keys to the City in 2023 in recognition of his actions, and the University’s Florence program has been named for the D’Aniellos since 2022, in honor of the transformational nature of the gift to expand opportunities for students, attract exceptional faculty and improve the program’s facilities.

Perugini says D’Aniello embodies what Syracuse University Florence believes in: study abroad creates authentic, meaningful bonds that endure across decades, enriching both students and the communities that host them.

“Our relationship with the local community has always been central to our mission,” Perugini says. “We created the Gigliucci Archive, named after the family who owned the villa and first welcomed Syracuse University, to preserve this shared history. This renovation represents another chapter in the continuing story of both the building and Florence’s evolving landscape. We express our deep gratitude to Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello.”

The inauguration of the new entrance on Jan. 19 was attended by Florence officials, including Dario Danti, city councilor for universities and research; Bernard Dika, undersecretary to the president of the Tuscany Region; and Michele Pierguidi, president of the city’s District 2.

Danti reflected on the longstanding relationship between the city and the University, calling the school an “authoritative presence” in the community.

“Over all these years, the Florentine campus has grown and evolved while maintaining the same objectives as its beginnings: the deepening understanding by its students of Italian art and society and the creation of a solid intercultural relationship with the city that hosts it,” he said. “We are certain that in the coming years Syracuse University in Florence will continue to be a cultural bridge between two worlds through the exchange of stories, ideas and visions.”

Dario Nardella, a member of the European Parliament who was the mayor of Florence when D’Aniello was given the keys to the city, said in a statement he was delighted to see the project completed. He lauded D’Aniello’s contributions to the city both as a student responding to the 1966 floods and more recently, with his support for the University’s Florence program.

“Now as then, a love story repeats itself between Syracuse and Florence, between D’Aniello and our community,” Nardella said. “A story that will remain forever in the memory of future generations of Syracuse students and Florentines.”

Syracuse University Florence is organizing its for November, when the city will be hosting commemorative events marking the 60th anniversary of the floods.

The in the raised $76,540 for at its 21st Annual Charity Sports Auction. The ceremonial check was presented to Golisano officials Jan. 13 before the Orange men’s basketball game at the JMA Wireless Dome.

During the Syracuse men’s basketball game on Nov. 18, supporters purchased items and placed bids on sports memorabilia, electronics, jewelry, gift baskets, experiences and trips, among other items. In addition to the in-person event, an online auction ran through Nov. 23, allowing supporters to bid on hundreds of items.

served as Title Sponsor for the 2025 auction.

Proceeds from this year’s Charity Sports Auction benefited the Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center (UPAC) at the . UPAC is a full-service pediatric and adolescent primary care clinic that provides well-child care, adolescent medicine, foster care support through its ENHANCE program, behavioral health integration, immunizations, and other family-centered services to children, adolescents and young adults.

“At Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, we take care of 11,000 patients from 25,000 visits every year,” says UPAC Director Dr. Steven Blatt. “These are children and families like every other family in the community, but often with economic or logistical challenges in their life. We at UPAC have done many things to help them, but the money the students have raised will help with the extras.”

The auction donation will create a Sport Management Club of Syracuse University Endowment in honor of Blatt and is being highlighted by recognition at the playground at , and naming in the UPAC elevator lobby on the fourth floor of the Nappi Wellness Institute.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Falk College Sport Management Club for their extraordinary generosity and commitment to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital,” says Dave Bartell, assistant vice president of development for The Upstate Foundation. “Through their leadership, dedication and passion for service, these students are making a meaningful difference for the children and families served by the Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, and we are honored to partner with them in this important work.”

The Sport Management Club is a student-run organization. Since its founding in 2004, the club has raised more than $849,000 for local charities.

Previous beneficiaries of the club’s annual charity auction include Boys & Girls Clubs, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY, the Central New York SPCA, Upstate Cancer Center, Special Olympics New York, Food Bank of CNY, the Salvation Army, Rescue Mission Alliance, American Diabetes Association, Make A Wish CNY, Meals on Wheels, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, Vera House and Tillie’s Touch.

Over the years, the club has contributed more than $125,000 to , a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. Notable gifts include $20,000 to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in 2009–10 and $30,444 to the Upstate Cancer Center in 2011–12.

“Students from the Sport Management Club, for the past 20 years, have done what I think is one of the most important activities you will do, not only in college but in your life, and that’s making efforts to help people in your community,” Blatt says.

The Sport Management Club meets weekly during the academic year. For more information about the annual charity auction, visit , , or the .

Story by James Stickel

Cheryl Hatch knew as soon as she saw aÌęÌęcapturing the columns of names stretched across a wall inside theÌę, that she had to see it.Ìę

The memorial display outside the JoyceÌęHergenhanÌęAuditorium lists the 2,510 journalists killed globally since 1992, along with the date and location of their death. Ìę

Hatch, aÌę,Ìęcovered conflict and its aftermath in the Middle East and Africa. SheÌędrove five and a half hours to seeÌęthe memorial, to find the names of friends and colleaguesÌęshe’sÌęlost. When she arrived, she helped mount a photo of her friend,Ìę, in the gallery. Then, she placed her hands over each of her friends’ names: Gilkey,Ìę,Ìę,Ìę. Ìę

“Each year, sadly and horrifically, there are more and more journalists being killed,” Hatch says. “And when I was working in conflict zones, yes, people got killed, but now more frequently people are targeted. Some of my friends were targeted. It’s incredibly important to remember those names and remember their commitment to witnessing and documenting what’s happening in the world, literally giving their lives for it.”Ìę

Raising Awareness

The wall is part of a project developed byÌę, an associate professor of visual communications and graduate program director for multimedia,ÌęphotographyÌęand design at Newhouse, thatÌęseeksÌęto honor media professionals who have been killed and raise awareness about the threats journalists face.ÌęÌę

Harper says he was moved to create the memorial gallery and its accompanying event series,ÌęÌęin response to the record number of journalists and media workers killed in 2024. ÌęÌę

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 124 journalists were killed in 2024, with 103 of the deaths related to their work. The rise was driven by the increase in deaths of journalists during the Israel-Hamas war, which has seen 250 journalists killed during the course of the ongoing war, .Ìę

“I thought, is there anything I can do to further the conversation?” Harper says. “To remember those people who gave their lives, to bring the truth forward and to shed light in places that areÌęreally hardÌęto be. They gave everything for it, and the least we can do is recognize that.”Ìę

Addressing Challenges

Harper says his hope is to bring people together for inclusive conversations around the broader consequences for journalism, exploring the risks of reporting on violence and conflict, while also preparing students planning to enter the profession. Ìę

Harper worked with fellow Newhouse professorsÌę,ÌęÌęandÌęÌęto develop theÌę, which includes discussions, film screenings and workshops on risk assessment and trauma-informed journalism. Events were held in the fall and will continue through the spring. Ìę

The memorial wall, which uses data from CPJ, was unveiled on Nov. 6 and will be on display untilÌęJuly. Harper collaborated onÌętheÌędesign for the wall withÌę, lead artistic designer for theÌęoffice of communications atÌęNewhouse.Ìę

“Intellectual discussion is critical because it reminds us how real this is,” Harper says. “And then now what do you do about it? If journalism is anything,Ìęit’sÌęabout practical ideas and solutions to real problems we bring forward to the community to address.”Ìę

Beyond the spring, Harper says he hopes to find a permanent home for the memorial on campus.ÌęHe’sÌęalso looking for funders to create a traveling exhibitionÌęfor the project, to bring the memorial wall to other journalism schools around the countryÌęand internationally.Ìę

LoghmanÌęFattahi, U.S. advocacy representative at CPJ, says documenting and preserving the stories of every journalistÌęwho’sÌębeen killed is vital for pursuing accountability. Ìę

Until itsÌę, the Newseum honored journalists killed related to their work on a memorial wall. But FattahiÌęsays he is not aware of any other current memorial to slain journalists listing the collective names as the “Silenced” project has, giving visitors a concrete visual for understanding the risks journalists around the world take in service to their vocation and society.Ìę

“The journalists have fallen in different places, in different contexts, different years, theirÌęlives are taken by different actors and circumstances,” Fattahi says. “But seeing all their names together brings a sense of cohesion and wholeness to the bond among journalists and the role and importance of press freedom in bringing credible information, reliable information, independent information, to audiences all around the world.”Ìę

Remembering—And Continuing the Work

, a Fox NewsÌęseniorÌęcorrespondent, was on campus in November for his own reporting when he learned about the memorial gallery and that two of his former colleagues were included in the display. HallÌęÌęcovering the Russian invasion alongside photojournalistÌęÌęand Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha”ÌęKuvshynovaÌęin March 2022 when their vehicle was struck by Russian fire, severely injuring Hall and killing his colleagues. Ìę

“I knew no matter how busy it was, I had to go down and see it,” Hall says. “Not only to pay respects to Pierre and to Sasha, and to every other journalist who’s lost their lives covering conflict, but to also just thank Syracuse for having this wall.”Ìę

Like Hatch and Fattahi, he says the memorial reminds people of the importance, not only of journalism and covering conflict, but of having reporters on the ground. Ìę

“In my eyes, journalism is more than just a job,” Hall says. “It’s more than just something you go and you do, to write stories here and there. It is something that has a vast impact on how society sees the world. It strives to educate people so they can help make better decisions, so they can hold governments to account, so they can hopefully try and change the world for the better.”

Zakrzewski andÌęKuvshynova, and other former colleagues remembered on the wall, believed the work they were doing was essential, he says. Ìę

“They cared so deeply about what we were doing, and I know they would not want what happened to them to stop journalism,” he says. “They would not want people to stop telling these stories. No, they would want people to continue doing the work that they thought was so important.”