Class of 2018

Dr. Andreadis, a member of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University at Buffalo, has made seminal contributions to the field of bioengineering, spanning both fundamental and translational research, with emphasis in the areas of stem cell bioengineering; vascular, skin and gland tissue engineering and regeneration; molecular design of biomaterials; protein and gene delivery, and lentiviral arrays for high-throughput pathway analysis of stem cell differentiation and reprogramming. Among his highly recognized findings are those in the area of stem cells for cardiovascular tissue engineering. These advances place him at the forefront of worldwide efforts to use tissue engineering approaches for treatment of cardiovascular disease. He also discovered that stem cell senescence (aging) could be reversed using a single pluripotency factor, a discovery with significant implications in the field of aging and the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine. Notably, his discovery that skin stem cells can be the source of neural crest stem cells and their derivatives (neurons, glial cells, melanocytes, muscle, bone, cartilage) is a paradigm shift in stem cell biology with profound implications on regenerative medicine as it can provide an unlimited source of stem cells for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, for which cell sourcing remains an intractable barrier to development of cellular therapies.

Dr. Cohen, a member of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, began his career at Stony Brook University 42 years ago. Acknowledged as one of the leading electrophysiologists in the world, Dr. Cohen has made seminal contributions to our understanding of pace-making currents in cardiac tissue and the use of stem cell approaches to promote pacemaker activity and improve mechanical function in damaged cardiac tissue. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In recognition of his outstanding record of scholarly research, Dr. Cohen received a ten-year NIH Merit award. With 26 U.S. and international patents to his name, Professor Cohen consistently seeks to apply new technologies to important physiological and biophysical research questions. In 2016, Nature Biotechnology named Dr. Cohen one of the top 20 translational scientists in the world; that same year he was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors.

Dr. Fliesler, a member of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is a highly sought-out expert in the field of vision science. His research focuses on the retina and pathologies that affect vision. The former president of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER) and recently elected president of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the world’s premiere eye research association, Dr. Fliesler is internationally renowned by his peers as a distinguished scholar and is widely considered by colleagues to be “the world's foremost authority on the topic of cholesterol biosynthesis and metabolism in the retina.” His laboratory investigates retinal degenerations caused by metabolic defects, particularly lipid abnormalities (dyslipidemias) related to defective cholesterol metabolism as well as lipid and protein oxidation that underlies causes of photoreceptor cell death in retinal degeneration. Dr. Fliesler is a leading lipid biochemist on cholesterol metabolism and its role in retinal structure and function. His work was the first to invoke disturbed cholesterol metabolism in the retina as a disease mechanism. The translational relevance of his research findings are crucial to the field’s understanding of retinal health and pathology. His work is viewed as seminal in our understanding of the antecedents to pathology in age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. Gibbs, a member of the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, is an international expert in conservation biology. His career comprises nearly 25 years of academic excellence in scholarship, teaching and creative activities. Some of the more significant products of his scholarship include 120 peer-reviewed journal publications and five widely used books. One external reviewer stated, “These books have been unrivalled in their effectiveness as teaching tools and have tremendously helped in shaping the current generation of conservation biologists.” Dr. Gibbs has maintained an exceptionally high level of professional productivity, while achieving a growing national and international reputation. He has been involved in international projects around the world, including Mongolia, Tanzania and Ecuador. He is perhaps most well-known for his work in Galapagos to conserve the giant Galapagos tortoises and the ecosystem services they provide. Professor Gibbs has been the principal investigator for over 80 grants and contracts worth millions of dollars, and typically publishes 10 or more peer-reviewed articles annually in the leading journals.

Dr. Obeid, was a member of the Division of General Medicine and Vice Dean for Research at Stony Brook University, and was a trail-blazing scientist whose work focused on the study of bioactive lipids and their effects on the regulation of cell processes. She explored in depth the biochemistry and cell biology of sphingolipids, their biosynthesis and degradation, and investigates their role in cancer and aging. Her studies led to the critical discovery of the role of ceramide as a mediator/regulator of apoptosis (programmed cell death). Her research was of the highest standards and quality, and many of her contributions have become classics in the world of signaling and cell regulation. Her work spanned the biological spectrum, ranging from employing yeast as a model system to dissecting the basic biochemical pathways of lipid biosynthesis, to translating these insights to human cancer and aging. Moreover, throughout her career, Dr. Obeid served as an outstanding mentor and role model for women students, trainees, and junior faculty.

Dr. Porjesz, a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is an outstanding leader in the field who has engaged in cutting-edge research in alcoholism, neurophysiology and genetics for the past 40 years. Her early discoveries of subtle deficits in the brain function of alcoholics and their children were published in Science. Since that time, her research has been continuously funded by the NIH, she has authored over 200 publications, serves on the editorial boards of several renowned journals, and is a dedicated mentor to trainees and junior faculty. Professor Porjesz leads the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), an NIH funded initiative launched in 1989 that remains on the forefront of cutting-edge science. Building on her earlier discoveries that certain genetically influenced brain features make people more likely to develop alcohol use disorders (AUDs), Porjesz’ research has led to the identification of the genes involved in the development of AUDs. Under her leadership, COGA has progressed well beyond identifying genes to understanding the genetic mechanisms involved in risk, as well as Gene x Environment interactions during the development of AUDs. Porjesz has been the recipient of the prestigious MERIT award (2002), the Mendelson award (2014), the Research Society on Alcoholism’s Henri Begleiter Award for Excellence in Research (2016), and has been a member of Downstate Medical Center’s “Million Dollar Club” for 13 consecutive years. The Club honors faculty who received $1 million or more during the academic year for funded research, public service or training programs.

Dr. Pridemore, Dean and Professor of the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, has distinguished himself internationally in the field of criminology as an expert in homicide, suicide, and the influence of social structure and of alcohol on these and other forms of violence. His research spans the fields of criminal justice and criminology, sociology, epidemiology, and public health, and has reframed the ways in which we think about critical issues in these areas. One external reviewer notes that his work is “relevant to efforts to devise policies and strategies for preventing violence in diverse cultural and political contexts.” His research has impacted the way policymakers, scholars, and practitioners approach their work in the U.S. and abroad. The international and interdisciplinary scope of his research has led to collaborations with premier scholars from multiple fields and throughout the world, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and Sweden. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, many in highly-regarded journals in multiple disciplines, including Criminology; Journal of Quantitative Criminology; Justice Quarterly; Social Forces; Social Problems; Journal of Health and Social Behavior; American Journal of Public Health; and Addiction; among others. Dr. Pridemore has received several honors and awards for his work, including two that are considered lifetime achievement awards from the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Dr. Quataert, a member of the Department of History at Binghamton University, has made pioneering and transformative contributions to German and women’s history, gender studies, global history and human rights history. At each stage of her career, she has challenged the prevailing assumptions and categories of the fields in which she works, broadening the framework of understanding and discussion in ways that have not only made her a figure of national and international renown, but that fundamentally reframe how we as a society conceptualize and address questions of justice and human rights. Her research has highlighted the role of women in history, the relationship between the gendering of society and power relationships, the need to think transnationally about issues faced by modern nation-states, and the importance of global grassroots efforts in advancing positive change. Many of the assumptions fundamental to historical research today emerged through debates and inquiries in which Dr. Quataert played a pivotal role. She has published three books that, according to one external reviewer, have shaped “five major historical fields: European socialism and feminism; gender and labor in manufacturing; the history of patriotic women, philanthropy and nation formation; gender, medicine and war; and the history of international law and human rights.”

Dr. Samuel, Professor of the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University, is a leader in a substantial field in psycholinguistics, and has produced a wealth of imperial data and theoretical developments that have been a major component in the progression of the field. His research is in the field of Cognitive Science, with a focus on how humans perceive spoken language, has led to a better understanding of the recognition and categorization of human speech, even when noise obscures individual signals. He has been continuously funded by federal grants since his first year as a faculty member. According to one external reviewer, his findings “critically inform the architecture of the speech-lexical processing system.” Professor Samuel has also taken on major leadership roles within the University, nationally, and internationally. He has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and Department Chair. Nationally, he has served on a half dozen Editorial Boards of major journals, and served as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Memory and Language (#1 ISi ranking in Linguistics, and #3 ISi ranking in Experimental Psychology). Dr. Samuel also served as Chair of the Perception and Cognition study section at the National Institutes of Health. In recognition of his scientific expertise, he was invited to serve as Associate Director of the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language to help create a world-class institute in San Sebastian, Spain.

Dr. Steadman, a member of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at SUNY Cortland, is a global authority on the Chalcolithic to Byzantine archaeological periods of the Turkish Anatolian Plateau. In addition to supervising fourteen excavations throughout the Near East, including Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, Steadman has been the field operations director for evacations at Cadir Hoyuk in Turkey for the past twenty years. A prolific author of books and articles, Steadman has authored two well-cited books, The Archaeology of Architecture and the Human Use of Space, and The Archaeology of Religion, and co-authored a third, Ancient Complex Societies, works which have shaped a more comprehensive understanding of Anatolian culture in the Near East. Her work is distinctive for placing archaeological data alongside models of human behavior to create testable hypotheses of prehistoric phenomenon. Editor of the influential Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia, Steadman has also co-edited four essay collections, three on the archaeology of Anatolia and a fourth, on agency and identity in the Ancient Near East. Her three-volume book series on the excavation at Ҫadir Höyük excavation spans from the late Chalcolithic and early Bronze age to the Classical and Byzantine periods. Recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation among others, Steadman reviews grants for the NSF and the National Geographic Society; book manuscripts for publishers including Routledge; and articles for 16 archaeological journals. She is a member of the Editorial and Advisory Board of Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, and a member of the Committee on Archaeological Policy, and the American Schools of Oriental Research.

Dr. Welsh was recruited to the University at Albany as an Empire Innovations Professor in the School of Public Health in 2008. Recognized internationally for her pioneering work on the role of vitamin D in prevention and treatment of breast cancer, Professor Welsh’s expertise spans the areas of cell biology, human nutrition and molecular biology. She received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and was funded by the Human Nutrition Research Council of Ontario for post-doctoral training. Her first academic position was in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa, where she received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. In 1994, Professor Welsh moved to the W. Alton Jones Cell Science Center in Lake Placid, NY as a Senior Scientist and in 1998, she was recruited to the University of Notre Dame, where she became the first female Full Professor in the 150 year history of the Department of Biological Sciences. Professor Welsh is currently based at the UAlbany Cancer Research Center on the Health Sciences Campus, where she directs a research lab, mentors undergraduate and graduate students, supervises post-doctoral fellows and interacts with UAlbany faculty colleagues on diverse projects dedicated to prevention and treatment of cancer. Since her return to the US, she has been awarded more than $9.5 million in research funding from the National Cancer Institute, the American Institute for Cancer Research, the USDA CREES program, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program, among others. Professor Welsh serves on multiple grant review panels and is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal Endocrinology. She regularly presents at scholarly meetings and through high-profile media outlets, including ABC News and Good Morning America. Professor Welsh is also an inaugural member of the Board of Directors for the Vitamin D Workshop, Inc, a non-profit organization focused on the biology and health implications of vitamin D, for which she also serves as Webmaster and Chief Financial Officer.

Dr. Whittaker, a member of the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at the University at Buffalo (UB), is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), and the American Concrete Institute (ACI). He is an internationally renowned structural engineer who has made fundamental contributions across a wide range of areas including performance-based earthquake engineering, seismic probabilistic risk assessment, and characterization of the effects of detonations of high explosives. A national leader among the earthquake and blast engineering communities for decades, Dr. Whittaker served for seven years as president of the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE), and has served on a number of national committees developing standards of practice. He currently chairs the ASCE Nuclear Standards Committee. His work has been recognized with several national awards including Fellow of ASCE, Fellow of American Concrete Institute, four best paper awards, and ASCE Walter P. Moore and Stephen D. Bechtel Awards. Among the most highly cited civil engineering scholars in the U.S., Professor Whittaker has served as the director of UB’s MCEER (Multi-hazard Center for Earthquake Engineering Research) since 2011, the Institute of Bridge Engineering (IBE) since 2015, and the Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL) since 2016.

Dr. Yan, a member of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University at Buffalo (UB), is an extraordinarily prolific researcher who has received global recognition for her groundbreaking findings and scholarship, particularly for her investigations related to the areas of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A preeminent, innovative, experimental neurophysiologist in the field of cellular and synaptic neurosciences linked to neurological diseases, Dr. Yan investigates the mechanisms by which chronic stress exposure underlies cognitive deficits and depressive behaviors. She has made important advances delineating the genes and molecular mechanisms underlying human neurological disorders and is considered one of the leading authorities among molecular and cellular neurobiologists of her generation. Since 2000, Dr. Yan has been continuously funded with more than 20 grants totaling nearly $18 million from such sources as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health—National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Alliance on Research for Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Heart Association, the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke, and the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Yan published 125 peer-reviewed journal articles and 10 book chapters, among others and garnered more than 10,000 citations.

Dr. James, a former member of the Department of Biomedical Anthropology, provided exemplary service to Binghamton University, the medical community of the Binghamton region, and to national professional societies through editorial services, scholarship, and leadership. In addition to his remarkable service contributions, he was an internationally known scientist in areas of stress and blood pressure research, and in 2009 was recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. James’ distinguished record of service was characterized by leadership on numerous administrative committees, including longstanding contributions to the University’s Institutional Review Board providing oversight and management. Service to the medical community arose from his experience in biomedicine and commitment to interdisciplinary training and research. He assisted residents and practicing physicians in designing and conducting research, and served on the United Health Services IRB for more than a decade. As a biological anthropologist and biomedical scientist, Dr. James’s professional service spanned many societies. He served on seven journal editorial boards, he has served as president of two societies, and he reviewed papers for numerous journals.

Mr. Kahn, a member of the Department of Theater at Buffalo State College, has consistently achieved the highest caliber of faculty service. He is the founding director of The Anne Frank Project, a multi-layered social justice initiative that utilizes the wisdom of Anne Frank as a springboard for the intense examination of genocide, bullying, and intolerance through the lens of storytelling and performance. With an expertise in devised theatre, he presents and teaches internationally on the universal language of theater and the intersection of storytelling, conflict resolution and reconciliation. His passionate work through the Anne Frank project, his position as a Professor of Theater, his activism in all arenas promoting the improvement of the quality of life for all, has had an impact in classrooms and audiences from Buffalo to Africa. Professor Kahn marries his scholarly and creative work with his teaching, bringing them into sharp focus on serving the public good. Students studying under his tutelage learn the power of their craft and creativity in addressing some of the world’s most pervasive problems of prejudice and inhumanity that know no community boundaries. He demonstrates a sustained and focused commitment to social justice that transcends a daily schedule of classes and research. His innovative work in drama-based education has brought voice to the silent, as close to home as the urban youth of Buffalo, and as far away as the healing of Rwanda’s deep spiritual wounds. Professor Kahn offers significant leadership that dramatically transforms the lives of his students, the communities they serve, and the Buffalo State community. His work is grounded in the mission of the College and has deepened the ways that Buffalo State College manifests a commitment and dedication to social justice in both measurable and immeasurable ways.

Dr. Mihuc, a member of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Director of SUNY Plattsburgh’s Lake Champlain Research Institute, has a long-standing record of service to the campus, community, New York State and beyond. An expert in stream and lake ecology, he has extensively studied freshwater ecosystems and the impact of a variety of forces on Lake Champlain. Dr. Mihuc has received funding for his work from a number of agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He is an affiliate of the Center for the Study of Canada, member of the International Joint Commission Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Board, and co-director of the Lake Champlain Sea Grant. He is also Director of the Lake Champlain Research Institute at SUNY Plattsburgh, drawing hundreds of students, faculty, and community members into its research efforts, creating a base of knowledge and activism on behalf of the lake that makes a major contribution to its preservation. Dr. Mihuc is editor in chief of the Journal of Great Lakes Research and also created and edits Scientia Discipulorum, an online undergraduate research journal that introduces students to the processes of scientific publication. He has anchored the leadership of graduate programs in natural sciences, serving as longtime coordinator of the Professional Science Master’s Program as well as the M.S. program in Natural Science. He has led or served as a member of a broad range of campus committees and task forces (experiential learning, information literacy, and more) and regularly works with master teacher programs, community organizations, and individuals needing expert guidance on issues connected with Lake Champlain. He has mentored over 100 undergraduate student research projects and served as thesis advisor for 11 master’s degree students.

Dr. Sakrajda, an endowed chair and member of the Department of English, Reading and ESL at Westchester Community College (WCC), has a record of service to her students, college, SUNY, and her discipline that has consistently revealed her commitment to providing opportunities that support scholarship and achievement. At WCC, where she has been a professor for 27 years, she has served in many leadership capacities including as Co-Director of the Honors Program, Project Director of the Honors College Grant, and Chief Designer of the Common Writing and Resource Shell. Dr. Sakrajda currently serves as the Interim Director of both the Honors Program and Honors College at WCC. In 2017, she helped establish the Honors College offering Honors-designated degrees in Liberal Arts. Professor Sakrajda has been a leader in promoting the regional Beacon Conference, where students from nearly 20 area participating colleges present original research papers each year. She has hosted three Beacon Conferences at WCC over the past 25 years, and serves on the Steering Committee. Dr. Sakrajda created a connection to Cambridge University in the U.K. in 2003 for summer study programs for WCC students. To date, over 170 WCC students and 10 professors have participated in this program. Her work with the national Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship has brought scholarship opportunities to many students, resulting in awards of as much as $120,000 for students to go on to further their studies at prestigious four-year colleges.

Dr. Skrivanek, a member of the Department of Chemistry at Purchase College, is a longtime mentor of under-represented minority students in the natural and social sciences and his related service has extended well beyond the bounds of the campus. He is the founder and director of the Baccalaureate and Beyond (Bridges) programs, which have garnered almost nine million dollars in funding from governmental and private donor sources such as NIH, NSF and PepsiCo. The Bridge’s program—providing mentoring and hands-on research experiences to students in two-year programs—has had an undeniably positive impact on hundreds of students who have successfully transitioned from community colleges to four-year institutions. The program received national recognition when it received the President’s Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2011. This prestigious award was presented to Dr. Skrivanek at the White House by President Obama, and recognizes successful sponsorship and cutting-edge training of underrepresented ethnicities as future leaders in the sciences. Professor Skrivanek has secured years of federal grants to support fostering intense summer research and laboratory experiences. Currently continuing and expanding his involvement and expertise in matters concerning advanced education, Dr. Skrivanek spends days each month in Albany, as part of the System Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, advising funders and leaders in matters of enhanced minority participation in our scientific future.

Dr. Trief, a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Medicine and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has made significant contributions locally, regionally, nationally and internationally in the area of behavioral health and diabetes. She is a well-funded researcher for her work in the role of partner relationships and psychological factors in diabetes control, and the relationship of parenting style and parent-youth conflict in medication adherence in youth with diabetes. She serves internationally, including reviewing grants, speaking, and through elected membership in international organizations related to behavioral health and diabetes. Her innovative programs at Upstate Medical’s Joslin Diabetes Center address diabetes prevention and management, as well as health disparities. Dr. Trief has served as an elected member and officer of the Faculty Council and has developed many innovative programs in faculty development. She is also a member of the President’s Diversity Council, and developer and facilitator for the Corps of Diversity Allies at Upstate. Dr. Trief has previously received recognition for her service as a recipient of both the President’s and the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Faculty Service, a President’s Award for Excellence in Affirmative Action, and a Diversity Achiever Award from the Syracuse YMCA.

Dr. Wilson, a member of the Department of Community Health Sciences at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has been a valued member the Downstate Medical faculty for over 18 years. Dr. Wilson is committed to community and uses an engaged approach to improving public health and eliminating health inequities in Brooklyn. Her work supports the mission of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center (BHDC), which works toward eliminating health disparities in Brooklyn. Dr. Wilson currently serves as the Research Core Co-Director of the BHDC and also serves on its Executive Board. She has received more than $5 million in grants, and her research has led to several large-scale behavioral studies that are designed to improve engagement of care for those living with and at risk for HIV. She is a passionate advocate for her students, staff, community, and the field of public health. Dr. Wilson is recognized nationally and internationally as an accomplished researcher. Notably, given the significant time and contributions she has made to community engagement and capacity building, student teaching and mentoring, and supporting the administrative capacity of the institution, Dr. Wilson has consistently maintained a highly productive and impactful research career in the areas of infectious disease prevention and treatment, and in the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of health and health disparities.

Dr. Zubrow, a member of the Department of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo (UB), is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London—the world’s oldest and most prestigious archaeological professional society. Professor Zubrow has achieved remarkable distinction in sustained and outstanding service to the UB campus, to the State University of New York, and to his discipline—the broadly defined field of anthropology. His level of publication, scholarly work and professional service are also distinguished, and he has attained international and national prominence for the significance of his achievements. His leadership roles in service to UB and SUNY promote the advancement of faculty and meaningful faculty governance, academic freedom, equity, and excellence. His outstanding leadership in and service to his field have had a sustaining impact on climate change, demographic modeling, social policy, law, disability, literacy and heritage.

Dr. Cohan, a member of the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is a teacher and investigator in the neurosciences with a more than thirty-year history of excellence in academic education. He uses innovative approaches to integrative neuroscience teaching, and has continuously developed and improved his already outstanding skills as an educator. He adopted digital methods in education long before they were common. Dr. Cohan’s teaching integrates a cross-disciplinary approach to subject matter with state-of-the-art educational methodologies attuned to individual student learning styles. Professor Cohan has developed novel websites, unique interactive learning exercises, and a one of a kind hands-on “brain museum” in support of the multi-modal education of students in neuroscience. He is known as a preeminent teacher both regionally and nationally. Medical students have selected Dr. Cohan for award recognition of his teaching excellence 13 times.

Dr. Ducey, a member of the Department of Biological Sciences at SUNY Cortland, has devoted over two decades to the mastery of teaching and learning. He implements a variety of teaching methods, including scaffolding and innovative applied learning activities designed to engage students at all levels. As a faculty mentor, he introduces majors and non-majors to professional undergraduate and graduate research. He maintains longstanding mentorships with former students, many of whom go on to become physicians, teachers and Ph.D.’s, and who attest to the positive impact he has made on their lives. He serves as a member of the SUNY Master Teacher Advisory Board for Central New York, sharing his expertise with K-12 teacher-leaders from across the region. He is frequently sought after as a model educator and mentor with colleagues frequently asking him to attend their classes and offer suggestions. Dr. Ducey possesses a strong record of scholarship, which is reflected in his teaching. Dr. Ducey’s students are authors or co-authors in more than 25 of his publications including peer-reviewed journal articles and published abstracts of conference proceedings. He serves on the editorial board for Northeast Naturalist and has served as a reviewer for NSF and NIH. He is a 2004 recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2006 SUNY Chancellor’s/Research Foundation Recognition for Exemplary Contributions to Research in Scholarship, as well as the SUNY Cortland Excellence of the Use of Research in Teaching Award in 2002, the Outstanding Achievement in Mentoring Undergraduate Research Award in 2016, and the Excellence in Academic Advisement Award in 2017.

Dr. Payne, a member of the Department of English at SUNY Oneonta, has proven to be a truly exceptional instructor in both English and the Environmental Humanities since his arrival in 2001. In addition to the student-centered classroom environment and wide-ranging classroom activities provided by Dr. Payne, he has routinely engaged with his students outside the classroom, advising independent study students (45 since 2001) and arranging innovative field experiences. Professor Payne’s teaching accolades include the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2012); the SUNY Oneonta Inter-Greek Council Award for Outstanding Faculty (2011); and the SUNY Oneonta Outstanding Advisor and Mentor Award (2007). His excellence in teaching and mentorship is fed by his internationally recognized scholarship in the area of environmental literature, expertise he has used to encourage SUNY Oneonta to incorporate sustainability throughout its curricula and as a part of its identity. In addition to developing interdisciplinary courses in the Environmental Humanities deemed key to the program’s success, Dr. Payne has regularly hosted internationally acclaimed environmental writers on the Oneonta campus to engage and inspire students. For the past fifteen years serving as Director of the John Burroughs Nature Writing Conference, Professor Payne has created a unique and extraordinary opportunity for students from various disciplines to interact with international experts in the field of Environmental Literature.

Dr. Zevenbergen, a member of the Department of Psychology at SUNY Fredonia, is a superb mentor and teacher. Through data driven assessment, she continuously refines her courses in order to maximize the student learning experience. She recently pursued and received a faculty development grant to pilot innovative teaching strategies. She exemplifies the teacher-scholar model through lessons informed by her scholarship as well as the provision of countless hands-on opportunities for her students outside of the classroom. She is committed to faculty-student collaborations and has supervised more than fifty independent study students, three McNair students, and one undergraduate research fellow. In addition, she has co-authored paper presentations with 35 students and supervised more than 150 student internships, engaging students in her research on child language acquisition and emergent literacy. She has more than 25 widely cited publications, and nearly 70 research presentations. She has served on and led many committees, including those relating to athletics, diversity, curriculum, and student success, and has mentored colleagues on how to be more effective in advising. As Fredonia's Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR), she provided sound academic support and advocacy for student athletes, chaired the Intercollegiate Athletic Board, and led the SUNYAC FAR Organization. Evidence of her noteworthy teaching can be seen in her extremely high teaching evaluations, extensive and very effective mentoring, numerous teaching awards, as well as enthusiastic student comments.