A stereotype in the global education sector is that it’s especially difficult for students in STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—to study abroad. Syracuse Abroad combats this thinking through special partnerships allowing STEM students to explore their fields in a range of countries, with access to cutting-edge laboratories and transformative experiential learning activities.

The University’s international STEM opportunities range from a special program for aerospace, bio, civil, computer, electrical, environmental and mechanical  to internships at the Istituto di Neuroscienze of Italy’s National Research Council through the .

Coding With Scottish Schoolchildren

In February, computer engineering major Hassatou Bah ’28 traveled with a delegation from the London Center to visit Lockerbie, Scotland, the site of the Pan Am Flight 103 Air Disaster in 1988. With support from the Kim and Michael Venutolo ’77 Fund for Experiential Learning, students studying abroad in London are invited to participate in a special Remembrance Exchange weekend each semester.

Remembrance resonates with Bah because of her family’s experience and sacrifice. “My family crossed an ocean to give me opportunities they never had. The students who were lost were crossing an ocean for an education. Like me, they held hopes for what Syracuse could help them become,” she says.

While in Scotland, Bah “paid it forward” with younger students. Lockerbie Academy hosted more than 100 P7 pupils (the Scottish equivalent of sixth graders) for a special transition day designed to give them a sense of what studying in secondary school would be like. Syracuse London students were asked to lead workshops for the transitioning pupils, with a special request for a session about computer coding.

During an hour-long workshop (which they delivered four times in a row for different groups), Bah and a classmate highlighted women who have contributed to the development of computers, such as Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson. They taught the basics of HTML and guided pupils in a hands-on activity to develop their own code to display and graphically transform their names on a website.

“As an engineer, I’m drawn to building. But what Syracuse and Lockerbie have built together is far greater than any system: it is a bridge of memory, compassion and human resilience,” Bah says.

Understanding Holistic Healthcare

In summer 2024, teaching professor Lisa Olson-Gugerty from the Maxwell School’s public health department travelled to the UK for a special section of “Understanding Health Systems: Macro and Micro Perspectives” (PHP 306), which examined differences between the U.S., UK and Europe in how public health is managed, how health science is funded and how healthcare is delivered.

Syracuse Abroad Global Ambassador Tommy DaSilva ’26, a student in the course, was blown away by the UK’s centralized health system, and credits Olson-Gugerty for providing “more global insight that I can take with me into a future of federal policymaking.”

That summer, DaSilva also took the “Green Britain: Science, Devolution and Climate Controversies in the UK” traveling class, through which he had the opportunity to visit the Welsh Parliament (Senedd). The Senedd has been a leading political body for investment in climate justice and science-led environmental management, as well as inclusive healthcare. The course’s field studies in Cornwall highlighted the interactions between marine conservation projects like the UK’s  and planetary health.

After a summer abroad, DaSilva returned to campus as a 2024-26 Lender Student Fellow, which provided the opportunity to see how lessons from their experiences abroad could improve the social determinants of health for vulnerable groups, especially in relation to housing.

Engineering Sustainable Communities 

In spring 2019, Anna Feldman ’21 spent a semester in Florence with Syracuse Abroad’s Engineering program. A year later, she was named a Udall Scholar for her dedication to pursuing environmental work.

Feldman’s community engagement included teaching young teenagers about water chemistry in Onondaga Lake, sharing her love for physics with local Syracuse pupils and helping kids at the Museum of Natural History learn to work with microscopes. She also contributed to a project on micropollutants in Kampala, Uganda, co-authoring a paper published in . Today, she works on stormwater resiliency and green infrastructure projects as a water resources engineer in New York City.

“I build hydrologic and hydraulic models to visualize the impacts of extreme storms on our natural and built environment,” says Feldman. She credits much of her interest in water resources to , professor of practice in civil and environmental engineering and an expert in urban stormwater management and smart sensing “whose notes on closed pipe flow I still use on the daily,” Feldman says.

Allyson Greenberg ’22, another alumna of the Syracuse Florence

Engineering program, was part of the spring 2020 class whose time in Italy was cut short by COVID-19. Despite her hasty departure, Greenberg has some great memories from her time abroad, including time spent in the Arctic Circle while on a traveling seminar about sustainability in Northern Europe. She went on to graduate with a BS in environmental engineering and an .

After graduating, Greenberg began working as a sustainable energy consultant. The role gave her insight into the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program, measuring and mitigating agricultural emissions, and the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings initiative, among others. The wide range of projects that she’d been exposed to allowed her to focus her interests, and this year she began a new job managing a program reducing residential greenhouse gases in Maryland.

Story by Becca Farnum

While most rising seniors are thinking about what lies ahead, Kenna Cummings ’27 is thinking about what lies beneath—the ice sheet in Greenland and a supervolcano in New Zealand, to be specific. Cummings, a geology major in the  (A&S) has been named a 2026-27 Astronaut Scholar by the (ASF).

Founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation awards scholarships to students in their junior or senior year who are pursuing a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree with intentions to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their degrees. Astronaut Scholars are among the best and brightest minds in STEM who show initiative, creativity and excellence in their chosen field.

The Astronaut Scholarship provides funding of up to $15,000 toward educational expenses, a paid trip to the ASF Innovators Week and Gala in Houston in August and lifelong mentoring and engagement opportunities with astronauts, Astronaut Scholar alumni, industry leaders and the ASF.

Tapping the Planet’s Hidden Heat

Cummings, who was also named a Goldwater Scholar earlier this year, is currently wrapping up her semester of research in the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ) on New Zealand’s North Island. There, she utilizes microscopy and geochemistry to study the subsurface magma system that both feeds eruptions and heats deep geothermal fluids.

“The TVZ is an incredible example of how active geothermal systems can be used for energy production as well as numerous direct uses, such as timber drying and greenhouse heating,” she says.

Cummings considers herself lucky to be able to undertake research at points around the world, such as Iceland and NewZealand, where some of the most innovative developments in geothermal energy are happening. She has studied the Greenland ice sheet remotely through the lab of , assistant professor of seismology in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In Greenland, Cummings studies what a system like the one in New Zealand looks like long after its heat source has moved on. Using seismology—mapping how seismic waves travel through the earth—she traces the path that ancient hotspot took and measures how much heat remains below the ice sheet.

“From this research, I’ve learned about the range of settings that can have heightened geothermal gradients without dramatic volcanic activity,” she says. “Understanding the many ways geothermal areas can be formed and studied will help me scale innovative solutions for settings across the U.S.”

Bridging Academia and Industry

Cummings’ long-term goal is to run a research lab inside an industry geothermal company.

“I am very passionate about clear communication between academia and industry, since academic research is only made applicable through commercial viability,” she says. “To me, the line between academic research and commercial application is done right when both sectors are working to their strengths, supporting each other and building toward the same end goal that will have positive impacts on the public at large.”

Cummings says that her selection as an Astronaut Scholar is an incredible honor that comes with life-changing financial support and academic and career opportunities.

“The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has a robust alumni network that provides opportunities to learn about various fields of science and industry,” she says. “I plan to take advantage of mentorship opportunities within the ASF alumni network as well as present my research at the Innovator’s Symposium. I know this scholarship will open doors for me in both grad school and career applications. I am grateful for the numerous ways becoming an Astronaut Scholar has already begun to change the trajectory of my future research career.”

Created in 1984, ASF awarded its first seven scholarships in honor of the Mercury 7 astronauts—Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton. Seven students received $1,000 scholarships. Since its inception, the ASF has awarded more than $10 million to more than 950 college students.

As a university partner of the ASF, Syracuse University can nominate two students for the Astronaut Scholarship each year. Interested students should contact (CFSA) for information on the nomination process (cfsa@syr.edu; 315.443.2759). More information on the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation can be .

Syracuse University is at the center of a regional effort to develop the energy storage workforce of the future, serving as a core partner in the and spearheading the workforce development portion of its mission through administration of the Generating Regional Opportunities in Workforce (GROW) program.

“Syracuse University brings together research expertise, workforce development skills and community partnerships,” says Vice President for Research . “The Energy Storage Engine lets us put all of that to work for upstate New York by connecting the science happening in our labs to the jobs and training our region needs.”

The Energy Storage Engine was launched in January 2024 as one of 10 inaugural Regional Innovation Engines created by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Its aim: to make upstate New York a national hub for battery technology by bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs and workforce trainers. Led by Binghamton University, the initiative recently entered phase 2 with a $45 million NSF grant.

Crucial Role

, director of strategic partnerships in the , co-coordinated workforce development during the engine’s first phase. “The energy storage sector is going to generate thousands of jobs in upstate New York,” he says. “That’s why workforce development is so important—it’s the bridge between the research happening in our labs and the economic impact we’re trying to create in our communities.”

The GROW program was established in late 2024 with a $2 million subcontract from Binghamton University. Together with Rome, New York-based nonprofit , Syracuse University oversaw the competitive grant program, which seeded battery and energy storage workforce training at institutions and organizations across Central and Western New York and the Southern Tier. A diverse cohort received $1.1 million in GROW awards: YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County; SUNY Broome Community College; Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT); Binghamton University; Alfred University; GreenForce Training Inc.; the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at RIT; and Syracuse University.

These institutions developed programs for a wide range of learners, from middle and high school pupils to college students to community members. Nearly 400 participants have benefited from GROW-funded programs—a number that will increase substantially in phase two.

“Two years ago, training for battery research and manufacturing was essentially fully concentrated in Binghamton at SUNY Broome,” Crampton says. “With funding from the Engine, training was expanded to form a network of curriculum and programs across upstate. Hundreds of people have been exposed to opportunities in battery technology, many of whom would have never before considered it as a career path.”

Breadth and Inclusion

SUNY Broome expanded a Power and Energy Management seminar series, hosted a residential STEM summer camp for middle and high school students, and trained career and technical education teachers across multiple BOCES districts. The YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County brought battery science to students in Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton, including facility tours and hands-on LEGO robotics activities at the middle school level.

NTID developed a battery technician training program specifically designed for the American Sign Language community, offering a one-day workshop and an 80-hour bootcamp. Forty individuals completed training, with several earning the Northeast New York Battery Technician Credential. GreenForce Training in Buffalo delivered six accelerated production associate courses to individuals facing barriers to employment—including single parents, refugees and returning citizens—achieving an 84% job placement rate.

At the higher education level, RIT developed an 18-hour Li-ion battery curriculum delivered as a three-day immersive workshop for Monroe Community College students. Binghamton University created a new Sustainable Energy Engineering track in its electrical engineering degree. Alfred University launched a credit-bearing course in machine learning prediction of battery lifetime, enrolling 33 students and hosting a summer session that included industry professionals from Raymond Corporation.

Syracuse University’s GROW-funded program brought clean energy and autonomous systems education to 28 high school students from the Syracuse City School District through a six-week summer workshop. All participants—approximately half of whom had no prior coding experience—completed the program, and 27 traveled to Boston for a national competition. A majority reported increased interest in pursuing engineering or computer science majors.

Looking Ahead

With the engine now entering phase two, the workforce development pillar is set to scale significantly. The initiative is targeting a hub-and-spoke model anchored by four regional coalitions—each led by a major research university—to coordinate enrollment growth, transfer agreements, experiential learning and employer engagement. Summer 2026 internship and undergraduate research cohorts are projected to double.

“The groundwork laid by the first GROW cohort has demonstrated that building a regional energy storage workforce is possible, and that it requires meeting learners where they are: in high school classrooms, community organizations and college labs across the region,” Crampton says.

Three Syracuse University students have been awarded prestigious graduate research fellowships through the , and one student has been recognized with an honorable mention.

The fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM, social sciences and STEM education in the U.S. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, with an annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 educational allowance. Students can apply as rising seniors, recent graduates or first-year graduate students.

The 2026 recipients of the NSF GRFP are the following:

• Julia Fancher ’26, a physics major and applied mathematics major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Daniel Hettrick, a first-year Ph.D. student in anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and
• Gabe Suarez, a first-year Ph.D. student in theoretical physics in A&S.

Eadin Block ’26, a physics major and Spanish language, literature and culture major in A&S, received an Honorable Mention in this year’s competition.

Julia Fancher

Fancher, a University Scholar, Goldwater Scholar and two-time Astronaut Scholar, was gifted a copy of “Rise of the Rocket Girls,” a book about the women “human computers” who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, when she was in middle school.

“I was instantly captivated by the stories of these women who discovered new insights into our universe through math and physics, and I knew that I wanted to do the same,” she says. To kickstart that path, she actively pursued the STEM resources her school district and community had available.

During her first year at Syracuse, she joined Professor Eric Coughlin’s high-energy astrophysics lab, where she researches tidal disruption events, in which a star is destroyed by the tidal field of a supermassive black hole. Her research has been published internationally and earned several awards.

Her second research project was a collaboration between Coughlin’s lab and local high school students through the Syracuse University Research in Physics summer program. She has also mentored students internationally.

Fancher plans to pursue a Ph.D. in astrophysics and become a professor conducting research in theoretical high-energy astrophysics.

“The NSF GRFP will provide me with the resources necessary to continue pushing the forefront of astrophysics research while nurturing the next generation of scientists,” she says. “I want to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to explore their interests and are encouraged to pursue careers in STEM just as I was.”

Daniel Hettrick

Hettrick’s research centers on the cultural resilience of the Kootznoowoo Tlingit, a Native Alaskan nation in Southeastern Alaska, during the period following the United States’ purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.

Hettrick’s dissertation focuses on the former Tlingit summer village of Killisnoo, Alaska, occupied from 1867 to 1928. Using a holistic historical anthropology approach, he combines archaeological excavation, artifact analysis, ethnohistory, oral histories and Indigenous community collaboration to investigate how the Kootznoowoo Tlingit selectively adopted, adapted and rejected Russian and American cultural, religious and economic institutions—all while preserving a distinct Tlingit identity.

His commitment to preservation was deepened through firsthand experience. He visited historic Orthodox churches in Sitka and spoke directly with Tlingit Orthodox Christians while conducting research as an undergraduate. Those conversations also complicated his assumptions: learning that community members held a genuine sense of pride in inhabiting both Indigenous and Orthodox identities pushed him to think more carefully about how people navigate multiple, seemingly contradictory cultural frameworks.

Hettrick is committed to building reciprocal relationships with the Angoon Tlingit before and throughout his research. He recognizes that access to a community’s history, particularly one that has faced exploitation by both the state and academia, must be earned through demonstrated respect, humility and a genuine exchange of value. His long-term goal is to make collaborative, community-centered archaeology the standard rather than the exception.

Gabe Suarez

Suarez works with Professor Alexander Maloney on three-dimensional quantum gravity. His path to theoretical physics was unconventional: raised in rural Danville, Kentucky, he began working as an apprentice electrician at 14, not because the work fascinated him, but because it sharpened a way of thinking he would carry into physics.

“If a system is logical, and you’re honest with yourself about what you do and don’t understand, you can reason your way to the answer,” he says. That principle guided him through self-studying general relativity as a sophomore, completing five graduate courses as an undergraduate and being named Physics Senior of the Year at the University of Kentucky.

His senior thesis furthered a systematic categorical framework for Ward’s conjecture, a 1985 proposal that all integrable systems descend from a single universal gauge theory structure. He is quick to note that the conjecture’s value lies in its proof techniques, not its statement: the algebraic geometry and category theory required to settle it are precisely the tools modern fundamental physics increasingly demands. The tools connect directly to his Ph.D. work on how semiclassical Einstein gravity emerges from ensembles of conformal field theories.

Beyond research, tutoring his brother helped him learn that a teacher’s real job is showing someone they can learn, then stepping back. He has since carried that philosophy into recitation teaching, K-12 outreach and a return visit to his own rural high school, where he spoke to students who, like his younger self, may not yet see theoretical physics as a path available to them.

In addition to their faculty mentors, Fancher, Hettrick, Suarez and Block all worked with the University’s (CFSA) to prepare their applications.

Students interested in learning more about or applying for the next NSF GRFP award cycle or any other nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships should visit the  or email cfsa@syr.edu for more information.

As two silver robotic dogs chased each other around the turf field inside the Ensley Athletic Center, 20 school-aged children reacted with excitement as they watched a robotics demonstration put on by .

Closer to the middle of the field, a Central New York high school student picked up a video game controller to steer a metallic robot with pointy spikes toward a target of balloons set up by .

These hands-on demos were just two of dozens of exhibits as part of the second Micron Day on Tuesday. The day’s events brought together more than 700 students—along with families, educators, industry leaders and community partners—to spotlight  potential career opportunities available in STEM.

“These programs give these students an invaluable opportunity to see what’s next for them,” says Kim Burnett ’91, Micron’s lead for social impact and community development. “They leave feeling like they can pursue a career in STEM and that they belong in the STEM field. When you give kids opportunities to have fun and learn while being meaningfully engaged, it adds up to a great day.”

The most popular exhibit at the Micron Day Tech Expo was the virtual reality (VR) education table. Students lined up to wear VR headsets that took them inside Cornell University’s cleanroom and introduced them to the semiconductor industry.

“This is a unique educational opportunity. These students are face-to-face with me in the cleanroom,” says Tom Pennell, Cornell Nanoscale Facility’s workforce development program manager. “All day I kept hearing students say, ‘that’s so cool!’ We’ve created scalable educational content that gets students excited about the possibilities by blending curiosity with the fun aspects of STEM.”

Getting Excited About STEM Possibilities

There were exhibitors conducting demonstrations and answering questions from 35 different organizations—including 13 representing Syracuse University—as well as Micron camps and activities, community partner organizations, military and emergency response partners, higher education institutions and local tech employers.

For students like Om Vaidya, a freshman at the in the Syracuse City School District, the day sparked something. Vaidya envisions a career in STEM and hopes to one day work in robotics.

“This has been a great learning experience. I’m always excited about STEM possibilities, and after today, I know more about what it will take to get a job in STEM,” Vaidya says. “The robotic dogs were really cool, and it tied back to what we’re learning in school about how the sensors and actuators work to power the robots.”

The STEAM High School was among the dozens of schools that attended Micron Day. For educators like Jody Manning, executive director of STEAM High School, the hands-on, interactive activities served to enhance and complement the lessons being taught in the classroom, creating a more authentic learning environment.

“Students need to realize just how many opportunities are available for them in STEM fields. Having Syracuse University and Micron serve as those key collaborators to make everything work for a day like this is crucial,” Manning says. “This sends a very clear message that we’re all in this together when it comes to creating STEM opportunities for the greater Syracuse area.”

Anyone Can Do This

After the robot dog demonstration, the middle and high school students were quick to approach Jiayu Ding G’26 and his classmates, eager to learn more about how the robots were able to easily move and chase after each other.

Over the summer, Ding helps run a six-week program where high school students gain coding skills and build robots from scratch.

Sharing the lessons from those classes with the students at Micron Day was a rewarding experience for Ding, who will graduate with a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering in May.

“Everyone loved the demonstrations with the robot dogs, that was definitely making many of the students curious about the technology,” says Ding, a member of the . “It makes me happy seeing how excited the students are about STEM. They want to know everything there is to know about this technology. The great part is anyone can do this.”

After the expo, Micron Day featured additional programming focused on the families and caregivers of young people in the region. There was an esports competition in the University’s new Esports Classroom, followed by a town hall that educated parents and students about the clubs, campus and programs available at both the University and elsewhere in the region.

Micron Technology’s expansion in North Syracuse is expected to generate thousands of high-tech jobs in the coming years, but many Central New York (CNY) workers don’t yet have a clear path into those roles.

A new Syracuse University initiative called Q-SUCCEED-CNY—Quantum and Semiconductor Upskilling for Career Change through Experiential Education Deployment in Central New York—aims to change that. The workforce development program, led by faculty in the , helps adult learners with no prior technical background explore and prepare for careers in semiconductor, photonics and emerging quantum technologies.

“We are trying to tap into a larger community that has no prior technical background and awareness of this field, not those community members who already have tech background or who have already decided to pursue tech careers,” says Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Professor , who leads the program.

Who It’s For

Q-SUCCEED-CNY specifically targets people who may not have considered the tech sector: blue-collar workers, mid-career professionals in non-technical fields, veterans and individuals without STEM backgrounds. Through industry-aligned workshops, career exploration activities and hands-on experiential learning, participants build foundational technical skills and industry connections. Upon completing the program, participants receive a $2,400 stipend.

The initiative is led by Hasanovic alongside electrical engineering and computer science professors and , with project coordinator Anusha Ghimire managing operations and community partnerships.

How It Works

The program offers structured exposure to semiconductor, optics and quantum technology careers through a combination of educational programming and direct engagement with industry partners. It is supported by a broad network of affiliated organizations committed to regional workforce development, including Micron, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse City School District Adult Education, Westcott Community Center, Manufacturers Association of Central New York, NY CREATES, Cornell University, Toptica Photonics and Jubilee Homes.

How to Apply

Applications are open at . For more information, contact the Q-SUCCEED-CNY team at mhasanov@syr.edu or anghimir@syr.edu.