SUNY Empire Spotlight: Aug. 2024
(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – AUGUST 30, 2024) The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty and staff.
Herbert Covington, an assistant professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, co-authored a new study unveiling the epigenetic impact of stress on antidepressant response, which appears in Nature Communications.
Desiree Drindak, director of the Veteran and Military Resource Center, was invited to be a panelist for a presentation called Veterans in Higher Education: Supporting Vets to Survive and Thrive in Higher Ed which was hosted virtually by The National Association of Social Workers New York State Chapter, Veteran Mental Health Training Initiative (NASW-NYS VMHT) on Aug. 13, 2024. Their mission is to educate clinicians and the community on pertinent veteran issues and cultural competencies, so that clinicians are better equipped to support our veterans.
Tracy Galuski, professor and educational studies department chair, has been awarded a one million dollar grant from SUNY and New York State’s Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The OSWD was established in 2024 to support new economic opportunities for underrepresented and underemployed individuals in New York State.
Cailyn Green, assistant professor in the School of Human Services, was featured on the Aug. 14, 2024 episode of The Academic Minute and discussed the shift to a person-centered approach when referring to substance use clients and research related to self-identity among people seeking treatment.
Rodlyn Hines, assistant professor in the School of Human Services, published a study in the International Journal of Psychiatry Research titled “Life Together While Far Apart: Psychological, Physical, and Emotional Impacts of Transnational Marriages in the Context of Ghana.” The study analyzes transnational couples and the impacts of migration to the U.S. and U.S. immigration policies on marriage using the double ABC_X model of family stress and coping.
Charles Infurna was named Empire State University’s 2024-25 Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth (PRODiG+) fellow. This fellowship is part of the State University of New York’s initiative to increase the number of underrepresented faculty and allies selected for tenure-track positions. While at SUNY Empire, Infurna will serve as visiting assistant professor in the Department of Educational Studies.
Tom Mackey, assistant professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, visited Hildesheim, Germany Aug. 5-9, 2024 to discuss a virtual exchange titled: Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metaliteracy (IPILM). Mackey met with professors from six partner universities to further the program which explores metaliteracy and metaliterate learning amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
Mark Soderstrom, professor, published an essay titled “Saving the Dead, Making the Future: Public History Against Fascism.” The essay appears in a new book published with Routledge as part of the How We Win collection. In the article, editor Suren Moodliar interviews Soderstrom about the role of public history in the current political environment of the U.S. and the world. The book is available for pre-order and will ship after Sept. 13, 2024. A free, advance copy was distributed at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Gayle Stever, professor, was quoted in an Aug. 21, 2024 article by The Boston Globe titled “’Bennifer’ is officially done. Again. Is it ridiculous to care?” The article mentions her upcoming book “Parasocial Experiences: Psychological Theory and Application” and her thoughts on identification within fandoms and parasocial connections. Stever was also quoted in an Aug. 29, 2024 Billboard article titled “Leave Chappell Alone: Why do fan-artist relationships turn toxic, and what can be done?” in which she discussed her expertise on celebrity parasocial relationships.
Lisa Unangst, assistant professor in the School for Graduate Studies, published a new book with Routledge titled “Immigrants and Refugees at German Universities: Diversity, Internationalization and Anticolonial Considerations.” The book is part of a series Routledge is putting together on global student mobility and it is Unangst’s first book as a solo author.
Melissa Wells, assistant professor and director of teaching, learning, and faculty development, was featured on the Aug. 23, 2024 episode of The Academic Minute. She discussed complexities in education regarding teacher retention and professional satisfaction in the field.