Eleven Syracuse University students and alumni have been selected as 2026 recipients of awards, with three additional students named as alternates. The prestigious program, which funds English teaching assistantships and study/research grants in more than 140 countries, will send this year’s Syracuse cohort across four continents to teach, conduct research and build cross-cultural connections.

The 2026 recipients are the following:

• Bobby Battle ’26 (School of Education), English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), Spain
• Christian Bevilacqua ’24, G’26 (School of Education, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences), study grant, United Kingdom
• Gabriel Calloway ’26 (Maxwell School and A&S), ETA, Brazil
• Andrew Danik G’23 (Maxwell School), research award, Namibia
• Molly Grow ’26 (School of Education), ETA, South Korea
• Troyesha Parks ’22, G’23 (Falk College of Sport, Maxwell School), ETA, Taiwan
• Maya Philipp (Ph.D. in biology, College of Arts and Sciences), Azores Regional Government Research Award, Portugal
• Sarah Schreiber ’26 (Maxwell School and A&S), ETA, Cambodia
• Iona Volynets ’24 (Maxwell School and A&S), research award, Kazakhstan
• Anya von Wolff ’26 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Fulbright Combined Award, Austria
• Ernestine Whitaker G’26 (Ph.D. student in anthropology, Maxwell School), study grant, Italy

Three additional students were named alternates: Nathaniel Hasanaj ’25 (Maxwell School and A&S), ETA, Kosovo; Sarah Leonard ’26 (School of Education), ETA, Spain; and Lilyan Minicozzi ’26 (VPA), study grant, United Kingdom.

Two of the recipients—Maya Philipp and Sarah Schreiber—show the two sides of the program up close: one heading abroad to conduct research, the other to teach.

Maya Philipp: Tracking Whales in the Azores

Philipp will spend her Fulbright year in the Azores, working with researchers at the Institute of Marine Science–Okeanos at the University of the Azores to study sperm whale distribution and behavior.

Her project draws on high-resolution biologging tags that capture audio, location and movement data from whales, paired with satellite oceanographic data, allowing her to model where the animals are likely to be and what they’re doing at any given time.

The work will form the third chapter of her doctoral dissertation, which examines how large whales’ movement patterns reveal the “prey landscapes” they navigate in shifting marine environments.

Philipp’s research carries real stakes beyond her dissertation. The Azores sit along one of the busiest shipping corridors connecting the Americas and Europe, and rising vessel traffic has coincided with a growing number of sperm whale injuries and deaths. By predicting where whales will surface and travel, Philipp’s models could help ships steer clear of high-risk zones, reducing collisions while also helping whale-watching operators locate the animals.

Beyond the science, Philipp sees the year as a chance to deepen her Portuguese and immerse herself in local life, serving as a cultural ambassador as much as a researcher.

“By the end of the program, I hope to come away with insights that can help protect sperm whales while serving the local economy, and collaborations that will continue well after my time as a Fulbright researcher,” she says.

Sarah Schreiber: Teaching English in Cambodia

Schreiber says her background in international relations and environmental policy gives her a unique perspective on the English language learning classroom.

“I have been a language student myself many times, which will aid me in understanding my students’ needs and designing exercises that work best for them,” she says. “My studies at Syracuse taught me the intercultural communication skills necessary to succeed.”

Her interest in Cambodia traces back to an undergraduate paper on women under the Khmer Rouge, which she wrote for a course on atrocity studies. It left her wanting to understand more about how Cambodia has rebuilt itself over the past three decades. She’s spent the months leading up to her departure studying Khmer and connecting with fellow Fulbright grantees headed to the region.

Beyond the classroom, Schreiber plans to volunteer after school hours running English clubs, and possibly a dance club as well, as part of a broader effort to serve as a thoughtful guest in the country and a genuine cultural bridge between Cambodia and the United States.

All students were assisted by the (CFSA) in the preparation of their Fulbright applications. Students and alumni interested in the 2026-27 Fulbright cycle should contact the CFSA at cfsa@syr.edu.

Angelie “Angie” Serrano Baéz ’27 has never been one to do things halfway.

The rising senior from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, is pursuing not one, not two, but three majors—political science, international relations, and law, society and policy in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, along with a minor in Latin American studies. And, she just completed a semester abroad at Syracuse University’s center in Madrid, Spain.

That drive extends well beyond the classroom. Serrano Baéz participates in the Renée Crown University Honors Program and Kappa Alpha Pi pre-law/pre-government professional fraternity. She is active with La L.U.C.H.A., the Latinx student organization, and the Puerto Rican Student Association, where she will serve as president in her senior year. She has also volunteered as a tutor with the University’s Literacy Corps and served as a peer mentor through the Wellslink program, which pairs incoming students with returning students.

Her combination of academic achievement and commitment to others made her the selection committee’s choice for the 2026-27 Matthew Ross Wanetik Memorial Scholarship, which honors a Maxwell School student who passed away from an undetected heart ailment while studying abroad in 2008.

The parallels between Serrano Baéz and Wanetik are striking. Wanetik majored in political science and international relations and was deeply engaged in campus and community life, including service work through his fraternity. Serrano Baéz shares that spirit of involvement. She volunteers with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and We Rise Above the Streets Recovery and Outreach, a nonprofit that serves homeless and marginalized members of the community.

When asked who inspires her, she says, “My parents, because they have worked so hard to make getting an education possible for me and for my siblings.”

In her senior year, Serrano Baéz plans to complete her international relations capstone and honors thesis and begin preparing law school applications. She is considering her options. Corporate law is one possibility. She credits the scholarship with helping keep that path within reach.

“Scholarships like this are such a meaningful way to honor the legacy of Syracuse community members while also supporting current students like me who might need a little extra help to pursue higher education,” she says. “Receiving the Matthew Ross Wanetik Memorial Scholarship has truly been a blessing, and I hope it also encourages other students to take advantage of the resources available to them and apply for opportunities like this.”

The 2026-27 selection committee included two Maxwell alumni: Marshall Spevak, who received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2010 and serves as CEO of the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, and Erin T. Hamilton, who received a bachelor’s degree in international relations in 2019 and works in the U.S. State Department. Hamilton received the Wanetik scholarship in spring 2018.

Two recent graduates from the University’s have 2026 Laureates of the , one of the highest honors bestowed by the nation’s engineering honor society.

Tova Fink ’26 and Sadie Meyer ’26, both members of Syracuse University’s New York Beta chapter of Tau Beta Pi, join a select group of just 130 laureates chosen since the recognition program began in 1982.

Tau Beta Pi, founded in 1885, is the second-oldest honor society in the United States and the only engineering honor society representing the full range of engineering disciplines. The laureate designation recognizes graduating members who have distinguished themselves through academic achievement, leadership and service to their communities.

Both Fink and Meyer studied biomedical engineering and held leadership roles within the University’s Tau Beta Pi chapter.  Meyer was chapter president, and Fink was chapter vice president while also being active in campus organizations, including the Biomedical Engineering Society.

“Tova and Sadie represent the very best of what our biomedical engineering program strives to produce: rigorous, curious engineers who also lead with integrity and give back to their communities,” says Julie Hasenwinkel, interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “This recognition from Tau Beta Pi is a tremendous honor, and one that Syracuse University is proud to celebrate.”

As part of the honor, Fink and Meyer have been invited to attend the Tau Beta Pi Association’s 2026 Convention, set for Oct. 8-10 in Tucson, Arizona. Each laureate and a guest will be recognized during the Laureate Banquet.

Tau Beta Pi has more than 600,000 initiated members and 255 collegiate chapters nationwide. The laureate program remains one of the association’s most exclusive honors, with fewer than three recipients selected on average each year since its inception.

From “Rocket League” and “Valorant” to “Overwatch 2” and “Counter-Strike 2,” it doesn’t matter what game student casters Carson Kass ’28 and Ryan Blankenhorn ’26 are calling.

The play-by-play and color commentary duo has developed an uncanny ability to predict what the other is going to say during a competition. After broadcasting hundreds of matches, Kass and Blankenhorn have formed a back-and-forth rapport and an understanding of what it takes to effectively call esports for Orange fans.

“When I came to Syracuse, [Executive Director of Esports] said he wanted me to bring the broadcast element of what Syracuse could be as an esports program to our broadcasts. Working with Carson has helped me excel in what it means to be a color caster,” says Blankenhorn, who followed Gawrysiak from Shenandoah University to Syracuse and earned an major from the  and the .

Kass brought a traditional background as a sports broadcaster to the esports realm and says he prepares for an esports match with the same attention to detail as if he were calling a baseball or a soccer game.

“You have to get the color commentator involved explaining why something just happened. Ryan and I have called so many games together that we’ve formed this great on-air chemistry,” says Kass, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from the Newhouse School. “But how we cast a match is different for each game.”

We asked faculty and staff to share photos of their favorite recent high school graduates. Congratulations to all, and good luck as you continue your journeys!

Go back in time with this selection of historic images from the . The photos capture the evolution of the campus, student life and the community that has defined the University through the years.

To learn more about materials and photos in the University Archives, part of the in the , visit its .

Sam Kurland ’26 spent more than five years in and out of hospitals to treat chronic brain inflammation when she was 10 years old. Kurland’s doctors eventually diagnosed her with autoimmune encephalopathy, caused by an infection.

The PET scan that displayed widespread inflammation in her brain became the inspiration for Kurland’s business venture: a line of high-end fashion garments featuring blown-up imagery of brain scans, cancer cell slides and histology printed onto clothing and accessories.

“I want to turn something scary into something beautiful,” says Kurland, who earned a graphic design major from the and a minor in fashion design from the . “You wouldn’t even know you were looking at medical imagery when you’re looking at the pieces.”

Kurland arrived at the without a business plan, a legal entity or a clear sense of what came next.

On her first visit, Sarah Schreiber ’26 sat down and produced a document highlighting Kurland’s business goals—including her dream of one day dressing celebrities for the Met Gala—that served as the foundation for a business plan.

“She got the ideas in my head and turned them into something concrete,” Kurland says. “That was the moment when I thought, okay, I can actually do this. We’re all going through this totally new experience of starting our businesses together.”

Turning a Concept Into a Product

Kurland hopes to launch her clothing line—featuring dresses, blouses, handbags, ties and pocket squares—for presale by the end of the month.

A scan of Kurland’s brain tumor adorns the front of a tank top, while imagery of her sister’s rare thoracic injury inspired another of Kurland’s fashion pieces.

Twenty percent of proceeds will go directly to the specific medical research initiatives depicted in each piece. Kurland has been in contact with medical research facilities to secure additional imaging.

“What we wear matters. I’m trying to bring meaning back to clothing. There is emotional resonance and value that goes beyond something looking cute,” Kurland says.

Kurland plans to launch on Coveted, a mobile fashion marketplace founded by fellow LaunchPad member Naheem Cadiz III ’28.

That kind of peer-driven support defines the LaunchPad experience for many student entrepreneurs.

Finding His Place, Then Paying It Forward

Shahaan Khan had just started working at the LaunchPad when he overheard a student entrepreneur, Haley Greene, discussing the difficulty of finding a reliable backend developer for her mental health app, Miirror.

Khan, who is pursuing a master’s degree in applied human-centered AI from the , helped Greene better understand behavioral patterns of Miirror’s app users, including how and where users were engaging with the platform. Just as important, Khan showed where users were abandoning the app.

Last semester, Khan held weekly AI office hours at the LaunchPad for students seeking guidance on AI tools to advance their ideas.

“When I’m in the LaunchPad, I just think of it as all my friends,” Khan says. “It’s a warm environment, an open-concept space where everybody cares about helping solve the problems we’re all working on.”

Competitors Who Coach Each Other

After Kurland and Greene competed for Hult Prize funding, Greene approached Kurland with a suggestion for improving her pitch.

As she listened to Kurland’s pitch, Greene noticed that Kurland’s personal story—her years spent in the hospital and the medical journey that inspired the brand—wasn’t featured prominently enough in the presentation. Greene pulled up Kurland’s slide deck and started rearranging it.

“Haley said, ‘Your story is your product,’” Kurland says. “‘That’s so much more powerful.’ And she’s right. It’s not like anyone can just make this. It’s because of my passion for helping fund medical research that makes it what it is.”

Kurland incorporated the feedback, restructuring her pitch deck to lead with the more personal narrative rather than the product itself.

“That’s just the kind of supportive environment we have among entrepreneurs on campus,” Kurland says. “Students don’t view each other as competitors. Everyone is willing to offer advice and feedback to help you improve your idea.”

Learning Together, Growing Together

When entrepreneur Jacob Kaplan ’27 expressed interest in wearing one of Kurland’s pieces at a LaunchPad pitch event, she decided to branch out into menswear.

“I almost turned a blind eye to that possibility, but thankfully, I was able to connect with the right people who opened my eyes to a whole new audience,” Kurland says.

For Kurland and countless student entrepreneurs, the LaunchPad doesn’t simply offer access to resources; it provides a community where students can bounce ideas off each other.

“I don’t have a team,” Kurland says. “But it feels like I’m not doing it alone. If I’m stressed or I don’t know what the next move is, I can go, and there are people there who are willing to help. That collaborative space is truly special.”

“Why have you traveled so far to be here? Why are you here?” Rev. Akhona Masiza asked the , local choirs and concertgoers at the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “The world is out of tune. And yet, I marvel at the sight in this room.”

It was truly marvelous. In May, over 50 members of the Hendricks Chapel Choir (HCC) visited South Africa—the choir’s first-ever visit to the African continent. The HCC performed six times in 11 days, from Johannesburg to Cape Town and several places in between. HCC Director José “Peppie” Calvar set the tone before departure: “During these trips, the choir is building a global network of kindness that lasts for a lifetime. Our choir students will develop lasting connections with each other and with the South African students they meet along the way,” he said.

Lasting Connections and Beautiful Concerts

The tour’s first dual-billed concert featured the University of Johannesburg Choir and the HCC performing as peers—comparing notes and breaking bread before sharing the stage. Each choir performed separately, then combined their voices to sing “Tshotsholoza,” a well-known South African song traditionally sung by migrant workers. Baritone Samuel Mincey ’28 featured prominently in the lively number.

At Aan-die-Berg Gemeente, a Dutch Reformed church in Randburg, baritone Nick Dekaney ’26 sang his first solo on South African soil, performing “Hlohonofatsa,” a traditional South African song. The choir then visited Rietondale High School, where the energy was electric from the moment they arrived. Destiny, a Rietondale student, declared that she plans to sing forever, inspired by what she heard.

“An experience I will carry with me is singing with the Rietondale High School Choir,” said HCC member Aurelia Harp ’28. “Each and every student in that choir carries a true passion for music and everyone wanted to sing. The students had such a positive energy and it made me feel very welcome in their community and excited to sing.”

Culture, History and the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir

Between concerts, choir members immersed themselves in South Africa’s rich and complicated history. They visited the Apartheid Museum, Nelson Mandela’s house and Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s house in Soweto, went on a safari in Pilanesburg, toured the Union Buildings in Pretoria and hiked in the Drakensberg Mountains. HCC members picked up greetings in Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans, often wearing their “be kind.” shirts—wearing their hearts on their sleeves, both figuratively and literally.

A highlight of the Pietermaritzburg leg was a workshop with the internationally acclaimed Drakensberg Boys’ Choir. The two groups combined for vocal and physical warmups, exchanged songs and sang “Tshotsholoza” together, a fitting echo of the tour’s spirit of connection. The HCC also performed that evening at the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary alongside several local choirs, where soprano Eleanor Cjzakowski ’24 G’29 captivated the audience with the traditional spiritual hymn “I’ve Been in the Storm So Long.” Rev. Masiza’s challenge to the choir lingered long after the concert ended: they had come, he suggested, to relearn the dance of love and to make God known again as song.

Cape Town: The Final Leg

The final concert was held at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town—a venue rich with history from the anti-apartheid movement and long directed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Much like Hendricks Chapel, the cathedral is known as a place of prayer and a space where people of all faiths meet in common acceptance. The HCC shared the stage with the University of the Western Cape Creative Arts Choir, and well-known South African musician Zolani Mahola was thrilled to hear both groups perform the traditional isiXhosa tune “Bawo.” Organists Anne Laver, associate professor in the Setnor School of Music and University organist; Annie Spink G’26 and Michael Guarneiri ’28 also showcased their skills on the cathedral’s stunning instrument.

For several choir members who had graduated just a week before the trip, the Cape Town concert was more than the last show of the tour—it was the last time they would sing together in their current formation. The Western Cape choir students sent them off with a blessing before the evening wound down to a celebratory wrap-up dinner, where the surprises kept coming: a birthday serenade for Laver and a spontaneous announcement from Bryce Meuschke G’26, who shouted, “I got the job!” The choir erupted in applause.

A Legacy of Giving

“One of the things we hope with trips like this is for you to forge lasting friendships with each other,” said Calvar at the tour’s closing dinner. “The Hendricks Chapel Choir has a long legacy of these trips because people a long time ago had a great experience and they later gave a gift to support this trip. At some point we hope you can help the choir travel again and create new experiences.” Calvar closed with a line from the Prayer of St. Francis: “It is in giving of ourselves that we receive.” The Hendricks Chapel Choir is already looking ahead to Hendricks Chapel’s 100th anniversary tour to New Zealand in 2030.

The Office has recognized two volunteers for outstanding service in helping to maintain academic integrity standards and policies across the University.

Recipients of the 2026 Academic Integrity Outstanding Service Award are , assistant teaching professor in the and , associate director of the Experiential Center in the .

Dunham and Henderson exemplify the  identified by the as essential to academic integrity work, says Kate Marzen, director of the Academic Integrity Office. Their handling of academic integrity cases and their visible support of the process make them exemplary models as volunteers, she says.

Dunham was recognized for managing academic integrity cases with thoroughness and precision, engaging fully in the process and embodying fairness without letting the complexities of cases hamper his focus on required procedures.

“His approach illustrates that the strength of the academic integrity process depends on faculty who take it seriously and implement it ethically,” Marzen says. “He supports students involved in the process, using hearing time to express his care for them, explain his thought process and ensure students know they can and will be successful. This approach reflects the understanding that academic integrity is educational and not punitive in its purpose.”

Henderson was honored for conducting her work in a meaningful way that illustrates the reliability of the academic integrity process, and for being one of the office’s most genuine and effective ambassadors, Marzen says.

“She brings a clear understanding of why academic integrity matters beyond the immediate classroom, demonstrating both institutional trust and care for students. She approaches every training, faculty conversation and academic integrity-related connection with openness about the office and positivity about the work. She repeatedly helps us build relationships and creates opportunities to engage with the campus community,” Marzen says. “That kind of peer advocacy is so valuable because it is often small moments made meaningful by role models like her that help build confidence in the academic integrity process.”

Henderson served as the Whitman School’s academic integrity coordinator for several years before moving into her current role and has continued volunteering as a hearing chair.

The Academic Integrity Outstanding Service Awards were launched last year;  inaugural recipients were , associate dean for academic affairs in the , and , assistant teaching professor of in the .

The Office of Academic Integrity promotes and facilitates campus policies and best practices for integrity through educational initiatives for students, staff and faculty. For more information visit the Academic Integrity Office .

When the students in Orange Juice perform at the this summer, they won’t just be playing a set—they’ll gain the full festival experience.

Based in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) , Orange Juice will take the stage at Jazz Fest for the fourth consecutive year on Friday, July 10, at 5 p.m. at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, New York. The jazz combo features Griffen Beebe ’27 and Gianna Moore ’27 on vocals, Mason Manteau ’26 and William Angus ’26 on saxophone, Kai Wong ’27 on piano, Owen Wernow ’26 on guitar, Robert Wilhelm ’27 on bass and Vito Vetere ’26 on drums. While the competitive ensemble is open to all Syracuse University students by audition, the current members are music industry or sound recording technology majors in Setnor.

“Jazz Fest allows our students to not only perform at a high level in a professional setting, but experience all of the performances, meet the artists and go behind the scenes,” says John Coggiola, who directs the ensemble and is an associate professor of music education and area coordinator of jazz and commercial music (JCM) in Setnor. “It’s an incredible opportunity for students who plan to work in the music industry.”

Coggiola credits Frank Malfitano ’72, Jazz Fest’s founder, for supporting the students and providing them with the opportunity to be part of a major music festival. “He always makes sure they are treated like professionals,” Coggiola says.

Preparing for the festival performance is its own form of professional development. Although the members of Orange Juice aren’t physically together on campus, they are working to curate a diverse 55-minute set that draws from across the jazz spectrum, including original compositions by Manteau and Angus. The ensemble’s vocalists also allow the group to reach into contemporary popular music for selections to perform.

The group discusses which pieces to include, who will solo and how arrangements should be tailored to the specific strengths of the musicians. Two weeks before the full ensemble comes together to rehearse, individual members prepare their own parts and improvisations independently. Full rehearsal days are scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, and Thursday, July 9, in Shaffer Art Building—just before the group heads to watch the U.S. Air Force Band’s Airmen of Note kick off the festival that Thursday evening.

“The whole thing unfolds organically,” says Coggiola. “The students take each piece they want to perform and make it their own—reshaping the style, form, melody, harmonic progression and arrangement until it becomes something they’re ready to put on stage. Through this process, they’re developing real skills: how to make creative decisions under pressure, how to build a performance structure and how to work within it as they craft their final set list.”

The result is a show the students genuinely own and have the confidence to perform. “Orange Juice is special because we are quite involved compared to other school ensembles,” says Vetere. “We get to arrange, compose and integrate ourselves rather than read charts straight down. It feels more personal and creative, which is what I think making music should always feel like.”

“Orange Juice has helped me come out of my shell both in a personal and musical sense,” says Moore. “It has been such an amazing experience working with such talented musicians and learning to deeply connect with the music we make.”

For a group that is accustomed to performing at major campus events—most recently the University’s Board of Trustees dinner and VPA’s convocation ceremony in May—Jazz Fest represents something larger: a place in the ongoing story of jazz.

“So many talented musicians have played here before us, and many more will play in the years to come,” says Angus. “I’m glad I can be a contributor to a tradition that is keeping jazz music alive.”

Syracuse University is a proud sponsor of the Syracuse International Jazz Fest, a four-day celebration of world-class jazz music and community spirit, taking place July 9-12 at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, New York, and on the Syracuse University campus. All Jazz Fest events are free and open to the public. For the full schedule and artist lineup, visit .

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

Tashia Thomas Neal was born and raised in Syracuse. But despite supporting the city’s South Side for years, it wasn’t until she set foot on the soil at  to take pictures as part of the Southside Stories project that she learned about the urban farm tucked in the neighborhood.

She says that moment of community discovery is one of the key strengths of the Southside Stories, a community storytelling initiative that pairs Syracuse residents with professional photojournalists to document the people, places and programs enriching the neighborhood. The stories and images produced are then published on ,���ٳ��������Dz�������’���� and website.

The program launched in spring 2025, emerging from Southside Connections, a collaboration between Syracuse University’s  and 30 organizations across the city’s South Side. Residents are given the technical skills to document and celebrate the community, and give greater visibility to the mutual aid and everyday resilience happening in the neighborhood, which includes the historic 15th Ward.

For Thomas Neal, who was part of a recent cohort of residents trained through the project, the experience was gratifying.

“I’m gaining skills I can use for my own photography, even if I’m using my iPhone. I’m meeting new people in the group, and I’m also meeting people in the community I wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Thomas Neal says.

How It Works

, co-founder of Southside Stories, director of the Engaged Humanities Network and associate professor and Dean’s Professor of Community Engagement in the College of Arts and Sciences, says building up the capacity for residents to tell the stories of their own neighborhood is incredibly important. Not just for communicating to audiences outside the neighborhood but for “telling the story of the community to the community itself” as a way of building pride of place and recognizing the values and skills present.

Nordquist co-directs Southside Stories alongside co-founders Amy Toensing and Matt Moyer ’94, longtime photojournalists and documentary filmmakers who have worked for National Geographic for decades. Toensing previously was a faculty member at the , while Moyer is currently an adjunct professor. Together they run , working with Newhouse graduate Kayla Breen G’24.

Toensing and Moyer originally connected with Nordquist through a different Engaged Humanities Network collaboration with Syracuse University Art Museum, theprogram. Together, the three came up with the model of training community members for the Southside Stories project, which invites cohorts of participants—from high school-age students to older adults—to learn the basics of photography and visual storytelling.

The cohorts then pair with the photojournalists for field experiences to cover different stories in the neighborhood. Afterward, they review their work, critiquing it alongside the facilitators, and return to the field to get more images.

“What we’re doing is not only giving the foundation of understanding how composition and light and color and moment are going to influence an image and what it communicates; we’re also talking about the broader stories that exist, and then teaming up with them to give instruction and let them find their own story in this process,” Moyer says.

Toensing says discovery is an important part of the program as the cohort highlights the stories in the community.

“They’re getting outside of themselves, which is important for all of us, to leave our egos behind and become conduits for other people’s stories and to allow people to be seen,” she says.

What Participants Say

For Thomas Neal, the program has aligned with her professional work, but she says the storytelling project has helped her meet people who are doing work outside of her field and typical day-to-day.

“Being able to meet people who are doing great things and see the impact on other people in the community has been fantastic,” she says.

Over a dozen SU undergraduate and graduate students have been involved in projects associated with Southside Connections over the past two and a half years, and two—Destinyi Fernandez ’27 and Sandra Oduro G’28—have played significant roles in shaping the Southside Stories project as research assistants.

Fernandez is studying art photography in the  and serving as the undergraduate research assistant on the project. She participated in the Photography and Literacy program in high school, learning from Moyer and Nordquist before she arrived at the University. She says the experience with Southside Stories challenged her in new ways and helped her gain valuable skills for her photography, pointing to when she took photos at Ze Mart and had to approach and interview people.

“That definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, because as a photographer, I’m usually more of an observer,” she says. “This experience encouraged me to engage more directly with people through interviewing and storytelling, giving me guidance for communicating with people and conducting interviews.”

The experience has underscored that she doesn’t want to just produce a “pretty image.”

“I want it to have an impact,” Fernandez says. “I feel like I’ve learned so much from both [Southside Stories and the Photography and Literacy program] and how I can apply that to my academic life and my career moving forward.”

Why It Matters

So far, the program has published five stories on Salt, with half a dozen still in progress. Nordquist says as the program grows, he hopes different forms of storytelling will ultimately join the visual, documentary stories.

“Our intent with Southside Stories is to celebrate the people and the projects and the businesses and the organizations in South Side and the resiliency and the challenges, all of it,” Toensing says.

Ultimately, Nordquist says the hope is the program can become a self-sustaining, neighborhood-run network of storytellers.

“Collective action follows collective storytelling,” he says. “They’re intertwined and inseparable. So if we want to make real, lasting improvement of the city, of the region and of the University, then we have to take storytelling seriously, and we have to respect the power of stories.”

The team returned from the Formula SAE Michigan competition having outperformed every car the program has produced in the last 20 years—a milestone that marks a turning point for one of the University’s oldest engineering clubs.

The team’s entry, designated CR5, was the first car Citrus Racing designed entirely from scratch in six years. For the first time in 20 years, the team completed every dynamic event on the Formula SAE schedule. The CR5 car also cleared technical inspection before noon on the second day—a benchmark rarely achieved by any team in the field.

“Citrus Racing represents trust in the importance of self-guided learning,” says outgoing team leader Ryan Brennan ’26. “The result is that Citrus Racing alumni are growing not simply into engineers that can turn a wrench, but they are also learning how to work with each other across dynamic business, media, technical and social domains out of real need to operate well or suffer as an organization. We appreciate the help we received from across the . Without that help, Citrus Racing would not be nearly as strong as it is today.”

Citrus Racing is student run with faculty and staff advisors available for consultation. That model gives students opportunity take risks and learn from failures.

Brennan said the experience has shaped members into more than capable engineers. “Our members take full responsibility for every problem that lands at their feet—because they have to,” he says. “Citrus Racing is not just a club, it is an ECS sports team that transcends the years.”

New Leadership Named for 2026–27 Season

Nico O’Neill, a Ph.D. student in physics in the , will serve as the club’s president in the coming year. O’Neill has been managing much of the team’s back-end operations and was recognized for that work with the formal appointment.

Additional lead positions will be published on the once all appointments are finalized.

What Comes Next

Design work for the next Citrus Racing car is scheduled to begin by June 1, 2027. Incoming leadership will establish high-level improvement goals and set deadlines over the summer, following the same development calendar used in 2025. The team has committed to continuing development of internal combustion vehicles for the near term, while advancing electric vehicle research in parallel. Those interested in getting involved can reach the team’s leadership at formsae@syr.edu.

More Photos From Michigan

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 .

Before the first match kicks off, a group of students has already run thousands of simulations to predict who will lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

The has published its , featuring game-by-game forecasts, heat maps and predictions for each group and for each nation.

President Evan Pegorsch ’27, a sport analytics and economics major in the and data analyst for the Orange’s men’s soccer team, and Noah Bair ’28, a sport analytics major, discuss their predictive model, who they think will win it all and the U.S. team’s chances of advancing out of their group and into the knockout stage.

What makes the model stand out?

Noah Bair: We wanted to study those contributing factors to team success at the World Cup—roster quality, previous World Cup experience, how teams have historically performed and whether a team has a veteran or a first-time coach—to think about our predictive model as sports fans rather than analysts. What important characteristics are missing, and how can we add to the research?

Evan Pegorsch: We’re providing the data to back up why we think a team is going to win or lose. We don’t just rely on FIFA rankings. We also factor in how many players each team has on the Ballon d’Or rankings [a list of the top 30 players in the world], how each team performs playing in different temperatures, how long the coach has been with the team and other key indicators. If you just went off the FIFA world rankings, our model overperformed that baseline by 15%.

Who are the favorites to win the World Cup?

Pegorsch: The consensus favorite is Spain, but my number one is France. Their attack is overpowering, they have enough depth in other key areas, and the defense is looking good. Then it’s Spain. Then you must include Messi and Argentina, which has great team chemistry and a willingness to fight for each other. Then I’d go with England and Portugal, which has a talented midfield and a defense that’s on the rise.

Bair: France is my number one, based on what they’ve done historically—they won it all in 2018 and were runners-up in 2022. That historical dominance along with the quality of players is going to take them very far. Then it’s Argentina. Anytime Lionel Messi is on the field you have a chance to win. Then I like Portugal. The quality in their midfield is second to none. England having a new manager is going to help, and this is an invigorated team with a lot of young talent that can bring home the trophy. I’m also high on the Netherlands. They have a deep team and one of the best benches in the World Cup.

What will be the impact of an expanded field and multiple co-host nations?

Bair: For the first time, we have three co-host nations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and 48 participating teams, the largest field in World Cup history. This will create an unexpected challenge. Unlike during their domestic season when matches are centralized and you might be traveling 30-40 miles for matches, these teams will be traveling across countries and for far greater distances than they’re used to, which could definitely impact the matches.

Pegorsch: Travel fatigue is going to be a big factor in this tournament. Teams will have to adapt to added travel and shorter rest times between matches. And adding more teams decreases the likelihood of every single country winning it all in our model. The top teams have a smaller chance of winning it all than they have in the past, because there’s more potential for upsets and more variance.

How far does the model think the U.S. will advance?

Pegorsch: Our model gives them a 4% chance to win it all. Being on home soil helps. I worry about the goalkeeper, which is a huge area of weakness. When you get later into the World Cup rounds, the chances of dealing with either a penalty kick or penalty kick shootout increase, and I don’t trust our goalkeeping there. But there’s a lot of excitement around the U.S. and it’s realistic for them to reach the quarterfinals.

Bair: As tournament hosts, they’ve been given a favorable draw and don’t have a great contender in their group. The U.S. is the favorite to win Group D [88.7% to advance] and make the knockout stage. The talent is there to make it to the quarterfinals, and the U.S. will get a boost playing in front of the home crowd. But realistically, I think the team will lose in the round of 16.

What’s a dark horse country with the talent to make a deep run?

Bair: Ecuador is an up-and-coming team with some quality players who have been on the rise since 2022. Because Ecuador doesn’t have that historic success on the national stage, the data will likely say they’re not going to go very far, but Ecuador has one of the best defenses in the world, and at the World Cup, defense can carry a team.

Pegorsch: The model is high on Norway. They have one of the best players in the world in Erling Haaland, and while Norway is 29th or 30th in the FIFA rankings [at the time the data was collected], we have them with the 11th best odds to win because they have strong attacking options.