Faculty Focus - June 14, 2021

Recently, faculty were named to leadership positions, published and presented papers, served as panelists, showcased artwork, and prepared for musical performances.

Associate Professor of Environmental Studies David Murphy has been elected to the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Board of Directors. AESS is an independent faculty-and-student-based professional association in higher education designed to serve the needs of environmental scholars and scientists who value interdisciplinary approaches to research, teaching, and problem-solving. 

Murphy is an environmental scientist whose work focuses on the intersection of energy, economics, and the environment. His most recent work analyzes the impact that the current renewable energy policies in New York State may have on greenhouse gas emissions and the energy return on investment of the electrical grid system.

Associate Professor of Education Jeff Frank, who examines the philosophy of education, recently published a paper in the peer-reviewed journal, Soundings. In the work, he discusses how interventions to promote student belonging in college are a necessary first step, but students must also learn to appreciate the purposes of education to feel a meaningful sense of belonging to their education and the liberal arts community providing the education.

 Frank’s research focuses on the philosophy of education, liberal education, and teaching and teacher education. He has taught a First-Year Seminar (FYS) titled “What Does It Mean to be Educated” and courses in Contemporary Educational policy, Teaching and Teachers, and American Philosophies of Education.

Professor of Art and Art History Melissa Schulenberg has multiple pieces of her artwork included in the curated art exhibition, Instinctive Travels, on view at Centre 3 Gallery in Toronto, Canada, until July 31. Her featured artwork includes screenprints, lithographs, woodcuts, and mokuhanga prints. This exhibition, curated by Jason Lujan, brings together three artists whose approaches to printmaking have evolved to become personal in subject matter and outcome.

 Schulenberg is an artist and printmaker whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, most notably in Australia, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand. Her work takes inspiration from observed organic forms, the natural landscape, and her immediate surroundings. At St. Lawrence, Schulenberg teaches in the First-Year Program and Seminar, Drawing I and II, Beginning and Advanced Printmaking, Book Arts, and Senior Seminar.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Statistics and Director of the Peterson Quantitative Resource Center Michael Schuckers, whose research focuses on quantitative and mathematical support centers, recently participated in a panel of international experts at the Annual Joint Mathematics Meeting. As a panelist, Schuckers weighed in on the critical role Math Support Centers play in four-year institutions and how dedicated spaces, a welcoming environment, data-informed practices, and quality support with accountability are just some of the ways centers are successful. 

Throughout his career, Schuckers has received funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has conducted sports analytics work for a Major League Baseball team, a National Hockey League team, and additional sports organizations. Schuckers is an author and co-editor of the Quantitative and Mathematics Support Centers: A Handbook for Directors of Quantitative and Mathematics Support Centers. Among the courses he regularly teaches at St. Lawrence are Applied Statistics, Probability, Mathematical Statistics, and Statistical Methods of Data Collection.

Director of Music Ensembles Barry Torres will direct the Schola Cantorum of Syracuse professional vocal ensemble at the internationally renowned Boston Early Music Festival on Monday, June 14, at 7 p.m. EDT. As part of the virtual Fringe Festival, the concert will be available for live viewing on Youtube.com through the end of September 2021. Torres is the founding director of the early music (medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque) vocal ensemble. 

 At St. Lawrence, Torres directs the Laurentian Singers, University Chorus, and the Early Music Singers. He also co-directs the Gospel Choir and Band and teaches private voice lessons. He is an accomplished countertenor as both soloist and ensemble singer who holds a degree in music theory and composition from Syracuse University. Torres’ specialty is early music, specifically the a cappella choral repertoire of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics Cynthia Bansak and Assistant Professor of Economics Shuwei Zhang recently presented their co-authored paper Understanding the Role and Effectiveness of Alumni Connections on Experiential Learning virtually at the 2021 National Conference on Teaching and Research in Economic Education. 

Drawing from the St. Lawrence course based on the College Federal Reserve Challenge and research conducted by St. Lawrence students Ross MacMahon ’21 and Zejian Zhou ’21, Bansak and Zhang found that developing alumni connections in the classroom enhances experiential learning among students and creates life-long impact. By using virtual/in-person in-class talks, road trips, resource sharing, and mock presentations, students develop higher-order thinking and professional communication skills while seeing the links between economic theory and real-world professions. Their findings also show that the experiences students/alumni have in the classroom, result in alumni giving back to future generations of Fed Challenge students. 

Bansak is co-chair of St. Lawrence’s Department of Economics and researches labor economics, international immigration, remittances, educational attainment, and business cycle. Among the courses she regularly teaches at St. Lawrence are Econometrics, Labor Economics, The Fed Challenge, and Money and Banking. Bansak received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University.

Zhang’s research focuses on fiscal and monetary policy and time series econometrics. She completed her Ph.D. in applied economics at Auburn University in 2019, and teaches the Money and Banking course and co-teaches the Fed Challenge course with Bansak.

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