Maxwell Faculty News

Maxwell Faculty News
Submit News to Inside Maxwell
NIH awards $1.95M to study state-level COVID policies, mental health
Shannon Monnat, associate professor of sociology and Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion, is the principal investigator for a five-year research project that will examine the impacts of state COVID-19 mitigation policies on adult psychological health, drug overdose and suicide. The project is funded with $1.95 million from the National Institutes of Health.

Sociologist Jennifer Karas Montez named University Professor
Jennifer Karas Montez, professor of sociology, Gerald B. Cramer Faculty Scholar in Aging Studies, director of the Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) and co-director of the Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab in the Maxwell School has been named University Professor, a prestigious distinction granted to faculty who excel in their fields and who have made extraordinary scholarly contributions as judged by their peers nationally and internationally.

Elizabeth Cohen piece on immigration reform published in Wash Post
"Avoiding past mistakes is key to Congress passing immigration reform that works," written by Professor of Political Science Elizabeth Cohen, was published in the Washington Post. Cohen discusses the history of immigration reform and how the U.S. can move forward, in particular, by updating the Registry Act.

O'Keefe weighs in on renaming NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on NPR
After investigating, NASA does not plan to rename the James Webb Space Telescope, despite concerns that its namesake, former NASA administrator James Webb, went along with government discrimination against gay and lesbian employees in the 1950s and 1960s. The decision to name the telescope after Webb was made by a different NASA administrator, Sean O'Keefe, now University Professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School. To O'Keefe, all of this controversy came out of the blue. But he understands the concern. He discusses the matter in the NPR article, "Shadowed By Controversy, NASA Won't Rename New Space Telescope."

Jacobson speaks to CBS News, DW, WAER about the Afghanistan withdrawal
Top Pentagon leaders testified publicly before lawmakers for the first time since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Mark Jacobson, assistant dean for Washington Programs, spoke with CBS News, Deutsche Welle and WAER about their testimony and the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Popp talks to NPR about the impact of transitioning to electric cars
This month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill promising no more sales of fossil fuel-burning passenger vehicles by 2035 and for larger vehicles by 2045, a change that will have implications on the state’s economy and labor market. "There needs to be big investments in infrastructure, building charging stations, and so on," says Professor David Popp. "And so to the extent that people that might be displaced, can be put to work and things like that, that would certainly be useful," he says. Read more in the NPR article, "What challenges loom as New York transitions to electric car sales by 2035?"

Lambright discusses the James Webb Space Telescope with JH Magazine
The James Webb Space Telescope launches in December, 60 years after James Webb took over the helm of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). "Webb was always looking ahead from the standpoint of NASA and what it could do in the future," says Professor Harry Lambright. "It was clear to him that it would be important to demonstrate the usefulness of the capabilities that NASA was developing in the '60s, and one of the ways you could do that would be to show how useful you were to science, and a space telescope clearly would be very important for science," Lambright says. Read more in the Johns Hopkins Magazine article, "Mapping the Universe's Origin Story."

Monmonier quoted in New York Times article on digital maps
The most commonly used maps are those on smartphones and they don’t always accurately represent the world as it is. Instead of being drawn up by drafters, maps today are produced by diplomats, policymakers, marketers and tech executives, who decide what data goes into maps. "It is very easy to change digital maps and to do it without anyone really noticing," says Mark Monmonier, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography and the Environment. "That means, in little ways or even larger ones, our view of the world can change overnight." Read more in the New York Times article, "The Maps That Steer Us Wrong."

Williams contributes to Atlantic Council piece on AUKUS deal
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States recently announced a nuclear-submarine deal known as AUKUS that sidelined France, prompting Paris to recall its ambassador to the United States for the first time in the 243-year-long alliance between the two nations. Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, was one of several experts who weighed in on how the U.S. and its allies should navigate the diplomatic upheaval in the Atlantic Council blog post, "Experts react: The AUKUS deal has shaken the transatlantic alliance. What should the US and its allies do now?"

Maxwell School announces Montonna Professor, Dean’s Award Recipients
Osamah F. Khalil, associate professor of history and chair of the undergraduate program in international relations, was recently awarded the Dr. Ralph E. Montonna Endowed Professorship for the Teaching and Education of Undergraduates. He will hold the professorship for the 2021-22 academic year. In addition, Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science, received the Maxwell School Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Mentoring, and Kristy Buzard, associate professor of economics, was awarded the Maxwell School Dean’s Award for Innovative Teaching.

Gadarian speaks to Associated Press about mask mandates
Iowa is among at least eight Republican-led states that have limited the ability of school boards to impose mask mandates. More recently, arguments about masks heated up after federal Judge Robert Pratt blocked enforcement of the mask mandate ban, leading several school boards to require masks in their schools. Shana Gadarian, professor and chair of political science, says it’s important to weigh the motivation of politicians questioning public health measures proven to slow virus spread. "Politicians are trying to win reelection. They’re trying to keep their approval ratings up," she says. Read more in the Associated Press article, "Iowa focuses on masks as coronavirus deaths rise."

Campbell quoted in USA Today article on Haitians at Texas border
Thousands of Haitian immigrants encamped at Del Rio, Texas, after entering the U.S. through the Rio Grande are awaiting either deportation from U.S. authorities or deciding to stay put and seek asylum. But Title 42, enacted by Trump, allows for quick expulsion of asylum seekers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in holding facilities and President Joe Biden is continuing the policy. Horace Campbell, professor of political science, calls the expulsion of Haitians "inhumane" and "criminal." Read more in the USA Today article, "White House calls video of border agents chasing Haitian migrants 'horrific,' DHS promises to investigate."

Garcia discusses structural racism, COVID-19 outcomes in PHP blog
"The Devastating Toll of Structural Racism," written by Assistant Professor of Sociology Marc Garcia and Ph.D. student Claire Pendergrast, was published in Public Health Post. Garcia and Pendergrast provide an overview of how structural racism is a root cause of adverse COVID-19 outcomes among older Black and Latinx adults and call for "bold policy measures and serious commitment from government leaders to reduce social and economic inequality experienced by Black and Latinx populations."

Three faculty members named O’Hanley Scholars
The Maxwell School is pleased to announce three new O’Hanley Faculty Scholars: Saba Siddiki, associate professor of public administration and international affairs; Martin Shanguhyia, associate professor of history; and Chris Faricy, associate professor of political science. Each was selected for outstanding teaching, scholarship and other accomplishments, including success with external grant support and service to the institution. The O’Hanley Faculty Endowed Fund for Faculty Excellence was created with a major gift from Ron O’Hanley, a 1980 graduate of the Maxwell School with a B.A. in political science.

Dutkowsky weighs in on the ongoing labor shortage in CNY Central piece
Wegmans, normally rated one of the nation's best places to work, is currently experiencing the effects of the ongoing shortage in labor. They will be hosting a virtual hiring event to try and fill more than 200 open positions in Syracuse area stores. "I think you're seeing two groups pulling against each other here," says Donald Dutkowsky, professor emeritus of economics. "Employers who want to get back to where it was before the pandemic and a workforce who is rethinking the whole idea of how much they want to work and where they want to work," he says. Read more in the CNY Central article, "Even Wegmans, one of country's best places to work, needs employees."

«

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

»