https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/ en https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/aaas-honors-ccny-researchers-robert-anderson-and-jeff-morris-lifetime-fellows Robert P.  Anderson and Jeff Morris, faculty members at The City College of New York, have been elected 2023 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). They are among 502 scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the “Science” family of journals.  Anderson is professor of biology and member of the biodiversity group in the Division of Science, and Morris, professor and director of the Levich Institute in CCNY’s Grove School of Engineering.    A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all Fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Distinguished past honorees include W.E.B. DuBois, Ellen Ochoa, Steven Chu, Grace Hopper, Alan Alda, Mae Jemison and Ayanna Howard. Joining the ranks of Fellows last year were mathematician and STEM education policy expert Talitha Washington, marine biologist Jorge Cortes Nunez, and radiologist and former National Institutes of Health director Elias Zerhouni.  “As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the AAAS Fellows, AAAS is proud to recognize the newly elected individuals. This year’s class embodies scientific excellence, fosters trust in science throughout the communities they serve, and leads the next generation of scientists while advancing scientific achievements,” said Sudip Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.  About Dr. Robert Anderson   For five years running since 2019, Anderson has made the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list that identifies elite researchers worldwide who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. He conducts biogeographic studies at the interface between ecology and evolution, drawing upon diverse data sources (fieldwork, morphology, climatology, remote sensing, physiology, and genetics). In interdisciplinary collaborations, he has developed the use of machine-learning principle Maxent for modeling species niches and distributions. These models are broadly applied in conservation biology, invasive species, zoonotic diseases, and the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Click here for information about the Anderson lab at CCNY, which is part of the interdisciplinary biodiversity group studying the ecology, evolution, and geography of life on Earth. In addition to his faculty position at CCNY and the Graduate Center, CUNY, Anderson is a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History.  About Dr. Jeff Morris A chemical engineer, Morris is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts in rheology. He received the 2023 Bingham Medal from the Society of Rheology (SOR). The Medal is the 93-year-old SOR’s highest award and is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of rheology. SOR has cited Morris for “his transformative research on the flow of suspensions, particularly of the mechanics of discontinuous shear thickening, and his application of rheology to practical problems in suspension flow, including his novel work on the rheology of hydrate-forming emulsions.” Earlier, Morris received the 2022 Weissenberg Award from the European Society of Rheology becoming the first non-European to win the award and joining an elite group of rheologists who have been recognized in previous years. He’s headed the Benjamin Levich Institute for Physico-Chemical Hydrodynamics in the Grove School since 2015. About the American Association for the Advancement of Science  The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal “Science,” as well as “Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling;” a digital, open-access journal, “Science Advances; Science Immunology;” and “Science Robotics.” AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, visit www.aaas.org.    Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:24:21 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/aaas-honors-ccny-researchers-robert-anderson-and-jeff-morris-lifetime-fellows https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/5m-mellon-grant-boost-humanities-based-internship-programs-ccny The City College of New York is the recipient of a $5 million grant from The Mellon Foundation to establish paid internship programs for students in the Division of Humanities and the Arts. The funding is part of Mellon’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to humanities-based learning and a renewed effort to raise awareness of the employability of humanities majors among undergraduates.   Despite reports from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences that show both the employment and compensation rates of humanities bachelor’s degree holders as competitive with their counterparts in the behavioral, social, and life sciences, widespread misconception about humanities study being disconnected from the world of work continues to persist. CCNY’s proposed humanities internship program combined with Mellon’s humanities internship grants aim to make internship participation more widely available for humanities majors, thereby increasing awareness that humanities study continues to offer viable career pathways to students.   “While it is obvious from the data that humanities majors regularly graduate into jobs that they find both emotionally and financially rewarding, that message has not reached students or their families,” said Phillip Brian Harper, program director for Higher Learning at Mellon. “The internships funded through these grants will make it clear that humanities study leads not just to jobs, but to exciting career paths in a wide range of sectors.”   CCNY will build on existing initiatives in career preparation to establish a comprehensive humanities internship program that will enhance humanities students’ access to internship opportunities in the nonprofit and public sectors. CCNY will develop an online database tracking internship and job placements of humanities majors. At least 250 internships will be funded by the grant over five years.    Among the ways that the program will create new internship opportunities for students, it will expand the innovative course structure that the Division piloted with a National Endowment for the Humanities American Recovery Program (ARP) grant: Humanities Experiential Learning Partnership Seminars (HELPS) allow academic work and the activities of an internship to support each other.   “We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for funding this exciting program which will open up new internship opportunities for our students in the Humanities. This real-world experience will provide our students with the tools they need, not just for the job market when they graduate, but to become cultural and social change-makers,” said CCNY Provost Tony Liss.   Dean of the Division of Humanities and the Arts Renata Kobetts Miller describes the Mellon grant as “transformational” for the Division’s academic programs: “We have never before been able to offer such comprehensive support for students to explore the wide array of future careers that their Humanities and Arts degrees prepare them powerfully to pursue. This is an unprecedented opportunity for us, and we’re excited to build a new program and secure additional sources of long-term support for it.” The funding is an effort to enhance awareness about post-collegiate employment prospects for humanities majors, thus promoting the study of the humanities among undergraduates. It is part of a $25 million grant to establish paid internships for humanities majors at five public colleges and universities, including CCNY, California State University at Fresno, Old Dominion University, University of Missouri at Kansas City and University of North Carolina Greensboro.     About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities.  Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there.  Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.   Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:30:28 -0400 Thea Klapwald /news/5m-mellon-grant-boost-humanities-based-internship-programs-ccny https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/ccny-opens-resources-and-research-center-immigrant-students Eight years in the making, The City College of New York’s Immigrant Student Center for Resources and Research officially opened on April 15, making it the third CUNY campus, after Brooklyn and John Jay Colleges, to have a dedicated immigrant student center. Located in NAC 6/204, where it shares space with the CUNY Initiative on Immigration and Education and the CCNY Dream Team, the Center supports and guides immigrant students by providing them with the necessary resources to enroll in and to navigate college, and to complete their degrees. It serves students who are undocumented, have precarious immigration status, and are first-generation immigrants. For example, many immigrant students have issues accessing higher education, said the Center’s interim director, Daniela Alulema. They may get intimidated by the process of applying for New York state residency and qualifying for in-state tuition and financial assistance. “We need to make sure that undocumented students understand that higher education is a possibility for them,” she said. Alulema is an embodiment of the immigrant experience. A native of Ecuador, her father graduated at the top of his engineering school class in Quito but had to forsake his dream of attending The City College because he had to go to work to support his young family. Coming to New York as an undocumented immigrant, she subsequently earned a degree from Baruch College and remained in the U.S. on a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals work permit. She served as director of programs at the think tank Center for Migration Studies for eight years before coming to CCNY.  “An education at CUNY can be a life-changing experience,” she told the attendees at the official opening.  In his introductory remarks, CCNY School of Education Dean Edwin M. Lamboy pointed out that, while this may be the third such center in the CUNY system, it is the first with a research component. "The work to be done in this center aligns perfectly with the School of Ed's mission and the emphasis we place on preparing educators who are qualified and committed to teaching and leading diverse communities,” he said. Professor of Bilingual Education & TESOL Tatayna Kleyn, the co-founder of the Center, said that its impetus began in 2012 with an email from undergraduate student Yatziri Tovar, a co-founder of the new Dream Team student club. She asked Kleyn to be the club’s faculty advisor. The group “had the support of the New York state Youth Leadership Council and [they] began building the Dream Team from the ground up a dozen years ago,” said Kleyn. “They created a flyer and a presence on social media, and they were on a mission. And here we are, 12 years later, because of them.” Tovar, a member of CCNY’s Class of 2017 who is now the senior manager of media relations at Make The Road New York, remembered “being a freshman, undocumented and the first in my family to attend college. It was exciting but also scary because I felt like I was the only undocumented student on campus.” From the beginnings of what she called “a safe space where undocumented students like us could talk, hang out and share anything from struggles to scholarship opportunities” came “a new place [that] will allow people to be connected and informed.” CCNY President Vincent G. Boudreau noted the tenacity of those who advocated for the Center to become a reality. "When the students and faculty presented the idea of this center to me, it was clearly a passion project for them, and great projects need impassioned, dedicated architects and advocates. They connected our core mission ⸺ social mobility and economic impact ⸺ to the work of supporting immigrant students," he said. "You don't get social mobility without providing a path forward for new Americans. You don't get the kind of economic impact we achieve without opening doors to new Americans." The data provided by Cynthia Carvajal, CUNY’s director of Undocumented and Immigrant Student Programs, allowed for the administration to see the need for undocumented students at CCNY to receive targeted support to access financial aid, scholarships, in-state tuition rate, and internships available to them, said Kleyn. Wed, 17 Apr 2024 11:29:26 -0400 /news/ccny-opens-resources-and-research-center-immigrant-students https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/former-architect-capitol-alan-hantman-presents-ccnys-rudin-lecture-may-2 Alan M. Hantman, the 10th Architect of the U.S. Capitol, returns to his alma mater on May 2 as the 2024 Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar. His lecture, 5:30 p.m. in CCNY’s Great Hall located in Shepard Hall, is entitled: “Under the Dome: Politics, Crisis, and Architecture at the United States Capitol,” which is the title of his latest book. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the lecture, and Hantman will sign copies after the lecture. The lecture is free and open to the public. Click here to RSVP (no later than April 30). Hantman was in the first graduating class of what became CCNY’s Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. He earned both Bachelor of Science (1964) and Bachelor of Architecture degrees (1966) from CCNY, followed by a Masters in Urban Planning from the Graduate Center, CUNY in 1979. He  currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Spitzer School.  A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), Hantman was appointed 10th Architect of the U.S. Capitol in 1997 by President Bill Clinton and unanimously confirmed to a 10-year term by the U.S. Senate. With a staff of 2,300, he was entrusted with the operation and preservation of all buildings and grounds on Capitol Hill, and the design and construction of the largest addition to the Capitol in its history. He led the Architect of the Capitol federal agency, responsible for all architecture, historic preservation, engineering, renovation, new construction, and facilities management for the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, all Congressional office buildings, the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Garden, and the Capitol Power Plant, as well as the care and improvement of nearly 300 acres of historic Capitol grounds.  Hantman oversaw the planning, design and construction of the three-story underground expansion of the Capitol, which is the ninth and largest increment of growth since 1793 when the design for the Capitol was first selected by President George Washington. This expansion is the most significant project undertaken by the Office of the Architect of the Capitol since the Dome and extensions to the Capitol were built more than 150 years ago. He retired in 2007. Before his appointment as Architect of the Capitol, Hantman was Vice President for Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation at Rockefeller Center in New York City. He played a leading role in Rockefeller Center Corporation’s Capital Improvement Program, along with strategic planning responsibilities, with oversight of all art, architecture, and historic preservation issues. Previous Rudin Scholars have included: former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite; former Congresswoman Patricia S. Schroeder; author Walter Mosley, ’91MA; former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw; filmmaker Ric Burns; Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Nobel Prize-winning author Mo Yan. About the Samuel Rudin Lecture The Samuel Rudin Visiting Scholars Lecture provides an opportunity for members of the college community to interact with outstanding scholars, business leaders, and government officials, enriching the education experience on campus. The program is also intended to foster communication within the academic community of New York City. Samuel Rudin, a civic and philanthropic leader in New York City, was a member of the Class of 1918 at City College and went on to a prominent real estate career. The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program is supported by a grant from the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. For more information, email: events@ccny.cuny.edu .   Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:52:47 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/former-architect-capitol-alan-hantman-presents-ccnys-rudin-lecture-may-2 https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/colin-powell-schools-victoria-lu-and-fuhad-khan-win-watson-fellowships Victoria Lu and Fuhad Khan, both from the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, are The City College of New York’s 2026 Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship recipients. They are among 15 promising undergraduates from New York City colleges and universities selected for the highly competitive awards. Created in 1999 and supported by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation, the program provides fellows with three years of personal, professional and cultural immersions in the United States and abroad. Fellows are provided with annual funding of $7,500, $9,000 and $10,000, in addition to a $2,500 Discovery Fund to develop their personal, professional, and cultural potential. A sophomore, Lu is a Macaulay Honors student pursuing a double major in sociology and political science. She’s on the Dean’s List, a Social Change Fellow with the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, and an incoming Moynihan Public Service Fellow.   Lu aspires to become a movement attorney or human rights attorney, building upon her commitment to championing social justice and liberation. She also hopes to work internationally, supporting social, political, and cultural rights in a global context. She’s currently interviewing with several organizations before deciding where she will intern as a Watson Fellow. She was born and raised in Queens by her Korean-Chinese father and Chinese mother.  Khan, who emigrated to the United States from Bangladesh in 2016, is a freshman majoring in political science. He’s dedicated to public service and driven to uplift marginalized communities through organizing and advocacy. “That is what I do now and what I want to do in the future through policy and government,” he said. “Whatever path I take, I’ll always want to fight for positive change and helping other people.” Khan’s student honors in only his second semester at CCNY reflect these passions. He’s the recipient of the Colin Powell Fellowship in Leadership and Public Service, which supports promising undergraduate students pursuing careers in government, nonprofit organizations, and other forms of public service. Fellows receive awards of up to $21,500.  He’s also received the Moynihan Public Service Fellowship and was nominated for the Ryan Thoresen Carson Award for Student Leadership by NYPIRG.  He has three options for his first internship as a Watson Fellow: as a policy research assistant at the Center for an Urban Future; as an engagement intern at the New York City Mayor's Office of Engagement; and as a political consulting intern at Slingshot Strategies.  “In general, I am looking to work in advocacy and nonprofit organizations. I also want to intern at a Congressional office in Washington, D.C., -- hopefully in my second summer -- and for my third summer, I am thinking of going to Australia or Spain,” said the Cypress Hills resident.  About the Watson Foundation In 1961, the Watson Foundation was created as a charitable trust in the name of Thomas J. Watson Sr., best known for building IBM. Through one-of-a-kind programs, and over 100 global partnerships, the Foundation provides students with personal, professional and cultural opportunities to expand their vision, develop their potential, and build their confidence and perspective do so for others.   Mon, 15 Apr 2024 21:09:28 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/colin-powell-schools-victoria-lu-and-fuhad-khan-win-watson-fellowships https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/ccnys-standard-chartered-zahn-innovation-center-partnership-contention-mayoral-service-award Standard Chartered’s partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center at The City College of New York is short-listed for the Mayoral Service Recognition Program Impact Awards. The collaboration is a contender in the Partnership Impact category. Winners will be announced at the Mayoral Service Recognition Ceremony on April 25. The Mayoral Service Recognition Program is an annual citywide celebration of volunteers and service members, recognizing efforts to build a culture of service, use service as a solution to community challenges, and answer the call to serve to ensure the success of New Yorkers. The annual recognition program is a month-long celebration during Global Volunteer Month in April and celebrates the diverse volunteer efforts of the previous calendar year. Impact Awards honor organizations, businesses, volunteers, and AmeriCorps alumni who have dedicated themselves to service, and strengthened communities with people power in the 2023 calendar year. The Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator program at the Zahn Center was cited by the Mayoral Service Recognition Program for supporting gender diversity in entrepreneurship and the technology sector. The program has been selected as a finalist due to its positive impact on the community, and the committed service of over 375 employee volunteers, who have dedicated over 3,000 volunteer hours to support the students and entrepreneurs in New York City. Headed by managing director Kesia Hudson, the Zahn Innovation Center’s Standard Chartered Women in Tech Program is a startup incubator program offering networking opportunities, co-working space and an array of resources. These include:  A startup bootcamp in the spring with a mini-bootcamp in the fall; An entrepreneurial program for girls and nonbinary students; Mentorship and pro-bono servicesSkill development workshops and seminars; Hackathons and ideation sessions;  A collaboration with CCNY Makerspace for rapid prototyping facilities and hands-on training opportunities; and Annual competitions, where students combine their knowledge from training with creativity to present their business ideas This year marks the 10th anniversary of the partnership. Launched as an initiative to support greater diversity in gender representation within the technology sector, the WiT Incubator program reached gender parity in its third year. To date, over 1,200 students have benefitted from the program’s outreach. Also in consideration for the 2024 Partnership Impact award are: UPS and New York Cares who collaborated to distribute over 70,000 coats to those experiencing homelessness or living in poverty; and the partnership between Macquarie Group and Team Kids that supports a five-week youth leadership program. It’s staffed by Team Kids officials and mentors trained by the NYPD and FDNY to empower youth to volunteer.  Zahn Innovation Center The mission of the Zahn Innovation Center at The City College of New York is to empower students and the CCNY community to embrace the entrepreneurial and innovation mindset by providing tools and resources to transform disruptive ideas into sustainable ventures. The Zahn Innovation Center is an integral part of the Innovation Ecosystem at CCNY which serves students, faculty and staff at intersections of new enterprises, new technologies and new approaches to impacting social needs in our local, state, national and global communities. Stay connected with the Zahn Innovation Center via our website, LinkedIn and Instagram. Standard Chartered We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 53 of the world’s most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 64. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good. Our history in the US dates back to 1902, and we are currently present in eight locations throughout the Americas. Our Americas franchise focuses on financial institutions and select corporations and plays a key role in facilitating trade and investment flows between the Americas and Asia, Africa, the UK and Europe and the Middle East.Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Fri, 12 Apr 2024 23:15:02 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/ccnys-standard-chartered-zahn-innovation-center-partnership-contention-mayoral-service-award https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/med-student-viren-sehgal-2024-ccny-valedictorian-hannah-khanshali-salutatorian Viren S. Sehgal, a CUNY School of Medicine student who completed his undergraduate degree in biomedical science with a 4.0 GPA, is The City College of New York’s Class of 2024 Valedictorian. Hannah Khanshali, who’s graduating with a BS in biology and 4.0 GPA from the Macaulay Honors College in the Division of Science, is the Salutatorian. Both were members of The City College’s first COVID-19 pandemic-era freshman class. CCNY’s 171st Commencement is scheduled for May 31.  About Viren Sehgal Born in Queens of Indian immigrant parents, Sehgal had been a CCNY student for two and half years before he first set foot on campus. Along with his freshman classmates, remote learning during those unprecedented times was the order of the day. It proved no hurdle, however, as he consistently excelled in his classes. He’d complete the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education program’s three-year biomedical science degree in September 2023 with a perfect 4.0 GPA and transition to the CCNY-based CUNY Med, where he’s now a first-year medical student. He’s scheduled to earn his medical degree in 2027. Sehgal’s undergraduate honors included the Dr. Yick Moon Lee Scholarship awarded to a single student for excellence in academics and a commitment to community service. He accomplished this while also being a student leader and being very involved in the school and his community. His other accolades include the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence; the S Jay Levy Fellowship for Future Leaders; and the Merit and Strong Community Service award. He was also on the Dean’s List for his entire undergraduate years.  Seghal has interned at several institutions across New York City, including the Melanoma Research Alliance and Rockefeller University. He’s also volunteered as an EMT with the Garden City Park Fire Department.     On campus, the New Hyde Park resident is an integral part of the student body and partakes in several aspects of CUNY Med. He served as President of the Sophie Davis Student Government, teaching assistant, and Ambassador for CUNY Med amongst other initiatives.  Viren grew up in a multigenerational household and credits this environment in instilling the belief that diversity of thought and thirst for knowledge furthers his motivation to solve problems collaboratively and to gain a global perspective around him.  About Hannah Khanshali  A second generation CUNY graduate – her mother is a College of Staten Island alumna – Khanshali was set on pursuing a veterinary career. She worked in the ER and ICU units of The Animal Medical Center, New York City’s only Level 1 veterinary trauma center, and the world’s largest veterinary teaching hospital. That’s until her junior year when she decided that her intrinsic creativity and curiosity were more suited to research surrounding molecular biology. She leaves CCNY with a BS in biology, a minor in chemistry and mulling a future in immunology or cell molecular biology, in the realm of cancer research.  Khanshali has been laying the ground for that, participating in complex research as an intern at Columbia University’s Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics in Dr. Elham Azizi's Lab.   In addition, she’s been invited to join award-winning CCNY professor Daniel Keedy’s lab this summer as a postbaccalaureate researcher on a bio-preparedness project for future pandemics. Keedy describes the U.S. Department of Energy funded research as “of heightened societal importance in light of the recent collective traumatic experiences with COVID-19.” Khanshali’s stellar academics, highlighted by her 4.0 GPA, earned her Dean’s List recognition every semester. She was named Macaulay Honors Horace W. Goldsmith Scholar, S Jay Levy Fellowship 2023 co-Valedictorian and is now a Peer Mentor as an Alumna of the Fellowship. An artist and musician seeking the intersection between her passion for the arts and science, Khanshali used the $4,000 grant from the Goldsmith Scholarship to take a study abroad winter class in photography in Florence, Italy, last January.  A Staten Island native, she’s from a Yemeni and Irish-Italian household. Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:28:07 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/med-student-viren-sehgal-2024-ccny-valedictorian-hannah-khanshali-salutatorian https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/52nd-annual-ccny-poetry-festival-features-pamela-l-laskin-may-10 Pamela L. Laskin, the award-winning poet, children’s book author, and English lecturer at CCNY, is the guest poet at CCNY’s 52nd annual Poetry Festival 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. May 10 in the Aaron Davis Hall’s Marian Anderson Theater. Dubbed “the Woodstock of the Spoken Word,” the festival is New York’s longest-running poetry celebration.  "The City College Poetry Festival is the democratic voice of poetry in New York City public schools,” said Laskin, who is also the long serving director of the CCNY Poetry Outreach Center, which produces the festival. “Its assumption is that there are many poets, and they all have terrific stories to tell. This would make Walt Whitman proud."  Upwards of 150 students from as many as 50 schools are expected to recite their poems at this year’s festival. The festival is “something the children always look forward to,” said Deborah Newman, a former teacher at P.S. 368 in Brooklyn, who had been attending the festival for over 13 years. “It’s a blessing, something that is real to them, and it’s an entire year of poetry for the children, leading up to this celebration. The teachers and the administrators love it, too.” Some of the children who participated in the festival’s early years are now teachers who bring their classes. “In 1975, I introduced a third-grade student to the audience of 400 cheering students, teachers, friends and family; in 1996, this same individual returned to the festival at City and introduced the readers from her fourth grade class,” recalls Barry Wallenstein, CCNY professor emeritus and former festival founder. “Over the past four decades, this event has become a place of reunion and affirmation for City College alumni, returning teachers, student-poets and friends of the College.” In addition to the readings by students, each year the festival invites one or more prominent poets to read their work. Among those who have appeared are Paul Simon, Allen Ginsberg, Gwendolyn Brooks, Muriel Rukeyser, Adrienne Rich, Philip Levine, Billy Collins, Major Jackson, Kimiko Hahn, Cornelius Eady, Patricia Smith, Richard Tillinghast, Tom Sleigh , Marilyn Nelson, Elana Bell and Aracelis Girmay, Tracy Smith, Marilyn Nelson, Jacqueline Woodson, Nicole Cooley, David Groff, Estha Weiner, Nathalie Handal and Reginald Dwayne Betts, Vasyl Makhno and, most recently, Gloria Mindock. The event commences with readings by elementary school students, followed by poets from junior high schools. Beginning around noon, the winners of the festival's citywide high school poetry contest will recite their poems, with the top three winners receiving the Poetry Prize, which are cash prizes.  A reading by Laskin, will highlight the day’s festivities. The festival presents a special award for the best poem in a language other than English. Submissions have come from 20 different languages over the festival’s history, reflecting the diversity of both New York City and of CCNY. The festival is supported by the American Academy of Poets and CCNY’s Division of Humanities and the Arts. Sponsors include CCNY President Vincent G. Boudreau and Dee Dee Mozeleski, vice president, Office of Institutional Advancement & Communications. Click here for a complete list of all the sponsors. About Pamela Laskin  Director of CCNY’s Poetry Outreach Center for nearly 20 years, Laskin is a poet and children's book author, with numerous publications. She is the editor of two anthologies, “Life on the Moon: My Best Friend's Secrets” (Linus Publications, 2009), and “The Heroic Young Woman” (Clique Calm, 2006). She is the author of two young adult novels, “Ronit and Jamil” (Harper Collins, 2017), and “Why no Goodbye” (Leapfrog Press, 2019). The latter won the 2018 International Fiction Prize. Laskin’s other publications include “BEA,” a picture book that was a finalist for the Katherine Paterson Prize for Children’s Fiction in 2018; “Trellises and Thorns,” “The Lost Language of Crazy,” “Words Unwhispered,” “Monster Maria,” and “My Secret Wish.” Laskin was the recipient of a 2022 Freedom Through Literacy Board Option Award for her work to enable children to unload their grief and to empower voices through poetry. Follow her on X: twitter@RonitandJamil and her blog: http://PamelaLaskin.blogspot.com/ For more information about the 53rd CCNY Spring Poetry Festival, please contact Alyssa Yankwitt at ccnypoetryoutreachcenter@gmail.com , or click here to visit the Poetry Outreach Center.   Mon, 08 Apr 2024 09:41:05 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/52nd-annual-ccny-poetry-festival-features-pamela-l-laskin-may-10 https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/rep-adriano-espaillat-secures-4m-funding-ccnys-rangel-workforce-initiative In another massive boost to The City College of New York-based Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Development Initiative (RIWI), U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) has secured $4,116,279 in Fiscal Year 2024 Federal funding to establish a headquarters for the program and further address the lack of modern infrastructure jobs in  the city. The money comes on the heels of the $1.5 million delivered to RIWI by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand last week to expand skills-based training at CCNY for low-income New Yorkers.  Rep. Espaillat provided a letter of support for the Senate application. “I am proud to deliver $4 million in federal funding to secure a headquarters for the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative and its mission to help the CUNY and Harlem communities thrive,” said Congressman Espaillat, a longtime supporter, funder, and advocate of RIWI, which is in his Congressional District. “This is the first step to expanding skills-based development programs for the most in-demand occupations amid nationwide threatening shortages. When we invest in better infrastructure training for our workforce, we invest in a better New York City for all.” Applauding Espaillat’s appropriation, CCNY President Vincent G. Boudreau said: “Congressman Espaillat has been a foundational advocate for and supporter of the Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative. This year, recognizing that the program already had outgrown its space, he has secured a visionary appropriation allowing us to build out our physical facilities. The existence and future of this crucial initiative owes a tremendous debt to the Congressman, and we are deeply grateful.” Espaillat’s latest funding brings to more than $10.8 million in support that he’s procured for RIWI. In addition to the $1.5 million in the Senate for labor, operation, and program expenses, he secured $2.2 million in Fiscal Year 2023, and $1.5 million in FY 2022 (which New York Governor Kathy Hochul matched for an additional $1.5M in state investment).   RIWI is the brainchild of Dr. Robert E. Paaswell, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering in CCNY’s Grove School of Engineering, in response to former Congressman Charles B. Rangel’s desire for modern infrastructure jobs in the 13th Congressional district. Dr. Angelo Lampousis is the program’s inaugural executive director. RIWI’s overarching goal is to prepare a diversified and democratically constituted workforce for the crucial, patriotic work of rebuilding America’s Infrastructure. It  will equip historically underserved communities with analytical and operational skills through innovative curricula, simulation-based training, and experiential learning to help them pursue career paths in the rapidly changing urban infrastructure sector.    Fri, 05 Apr 2024 09:19:26 -0400 Jay Mwamba /news/rep-adriano-espaillat-secures-4m-funding-ccnys-rangel-workforce-initiative https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/spatializing-reproductive-justice-exhibition-and-panel-features-spitzer-school-architecture The work of students at The City College of New York’s Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture comprises part of a traveling exhibition co-curated by Professor Lindsay Harkema entitled “Spatializing Reproductive Justice” from May 2, 2024 - September 3, 2024. The traveling exhibition explores the spatial, legal, and social logistics of reproductive healthcare access in the U.S. after Roe v. Wade opens at the AIA New York Center for Architecture. Expanding the discourse across institutions, the exhibition will travel to safe and restrictive states, fostering dialogue between designers, students, experts, and advocates, and gathering more research and design work as it travels. Building on the work of the SSA Fall 2022 advanced design studio entitled “National Care: Abortion Access, Reproductive Justice on Federal Land” taught by Harkema, an adjunct associate professor, the exhibition is the result of an inter-institutional collaboration with similar studios taught at Syracuse University and Columbia GSAPP, with coordination support from FLUFFFF studio. The work was featured in “The Architect’s Newspaper.” The exhibition presents research and analysis of reproductive healthcare networks and their histories as well as architectural strategies for countering threats to bodily autonomy. The work of students Valeska Abarca, Abbas Ali, Arifa Ali, Nathaly Castillo, Samantha Ehrman, Gabriela Gonjon, Mauricio Guidos, Guadalupe Hernandez-Sosa, Kedishia Joseph, Anamaria Jovel, Joseph Lo, Labiba Nazrul, Katherine Quito, and Leora Santoriello are included in the exhibition. Ahead of the opening of the exhibit, CCNY students and representatives from each institution participated in a panel discussion about the inequities of reproductive care in the U.S. and the agency of the design fields to expand access at Syracuse University School of Architecture on March 19.  Spitzer School of Architecture students Abarca and Castillo spoke at the panel. Students investigated the changing landscape of reproductive healthcare access across the US since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The studios produced a robust body of research and design work that utilizes the tools of architecture to convey the spatial realities and logistical complexity created by state laws that have severely restricted care access and respond through design proposals for future architectures of care and social justice. Some of the considerations they explored included the possibility of reproductive healthcare access on federally owned lands that are not subject to local state laws. Looking beyond the design of clinics, students’ architectural proposals explored themes of care, site, affect, malleability, and programmatic hybridization. The studio’s work and the forthcoming exhibition aim to make visible social justice issues that are often private, unseen, and under-acknowledged within the architectural discipline. In addition to Harkema, exhibition co-curators are Lori Brown (Syracuse University), Bryony Roberts (Columbia GSAPP), and Sadie Imae and Natalya Dikhanov of FLUFFFF Studio. The exhibit received a 2023 Graham Foundation Grant. The organization is also sponsored by ArchiteXX and WIP Collaborative, of which Harkema is a Founder and Co-founding member. Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:20:08 -0400 Thea Klapwald /news/spatializing-reproductive-justice-exhibition-and-panel-features-spitzer-school-architecture