Dear Orange Friends:
During my time at Syracuse I have learned there is remarkable research being done by our students and faculty, all around us, on campus and in the world. I want to share with you two exciting research-related achievements that have occurred this semester.
First, the University was an inaugural award recipient from the National Science Foundation’s recently created NSF Research Traineeship program. The nearly $3 million grant will prepare our master’s and doctoral students to make discoveries in the area of water-energy research. This multi-disciplinary initiative is led by Laura Lautz, associate professor of Earth sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. Impressively, the initiative involves eight other faculty from a wide array of disciplines: Professor Charles Driscoll and Professor Chris Johnson from the College of Engineering and Computer Science; Professor Christopher Junium, Professor Tara Kahan, Professor Christopher Scholz and Professor Donald Siegel from the College of Arts and Sciences; Professor Don Torrance from the Newhouse School; and Professor Peter Wilcoxen from the Maxwell School.
It also is particularly exciting that four of our professors recently received the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award. The award is given to junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of both. The four faculty are:
- Jesse Bond, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, who is researching more sustainable ways to synthesize chemical products by using biomass in place of crude oil.
- Christopher Junium, assistant professor of Earth sciences, who is studying how marine communities respond to climate change, lack of oxygen and levels of acid in oceans.
- Shalabh Maroo, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who is studying heat transfer. The goal of his research is to find ways to develop better, more energy-efficient electronic devices and create new potential renewable energy sources.
- Shikha Nangia, an assistant professor of biomedical and chemical engineering, who is researching new pathways for medicines to reach the human brain in better, non-invasive ways. Her research has great potential to fight devastating diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Groundbreaking research is an important component of what makes Syracuse a thriving, private international university. I am grateful to these faculty who are helping to lead the way.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud