Author: Beth Harpaz

Witch hunts, fruit flies, and the New York Aquarium are among the intriguing topics Baruch students will discuss when they participate in the 8^th Annual International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR), Sept. 27-29. This conference is free and open to the public to attend through the ICUR App, which features the full schedule of panels taking place at 15 universities in 12 countries, all coordinated by Monash University in Australia and the University of Warwick in the UK.

The schedule of Baruch presenters is here.

Baruch’s 28 participants come from all three Baruch schools and many different fields, but more than half are Weissman students, including history, political science, psychology, and biology majors. They’ll be on panels linked in real time with undergraduates at universities in England, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, and France, all presenting their own research. WSAS History Professor Katherine Pence is coordinating Baruch’s participation in the conference, which is supported by Baruch’s Office of the Provost. You can attend on Zoom and participate in questions and answers with the panelists by registering on the ICUR App through the website www.icurportal.com  and available free from the Apple store. Follow the conference on social media at @icurstudents and #icur2021.

Here’s a sample of WSAS presentation titles, along with student presenters’ names and majors.

• “Kodak Advertisement and Formation of the Modern Woman” (Aleksandr Sigalus, History)
• “A ‘Practical’ Curriculum: Embroidery and the Education of Chinese Girls in Protestant Missionary Schools in China, 1860 – 1920” (Ingrid Gendler, Political Science/Communication Studies)
• “A Gendered Revolution: The American Revolution and Its Effects on Women’s Gender Roles” (Edward Stehr, History)
• “How the New York Aquarium redefined marine attractions and tourism and contributed to New York City’s appeal as a city of science” (Sadat Tashin, History)
• “The Social Contract Theory in the Face of Empirical Morality: Integration and Its Consequences” (Margaux Ramee, Political Science)
• “Neo-Extracting Gilded Welfare States: A Comparative Study of Extractivism and Latin American Welfare State Formation” (Pabvitraa Ramcharan, Political Science)
• “The Witch Hunt in Scotland during the 16th-17th Century” (Fatou Diop, Political Science)
• “Annotation of D. Ananassae Muller D Element Contig 23: Analyzing Fruit Fly Chromosomes” (Angela Ng, Biological Sciences)
• “Secondary Control and Depression In Adulthood: The Role of Age and Gender” (Daniel Mesa, Psychology)
• “Healthy Hands: The Ultimate Eczema Glove” (Andrew Elvir, Biological Sciences)

For more information on ICUR, see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zXDAKDEQqo.  For a schedule featuring Baruch participants see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vES7psPtEPCGA8KCW4ROW0upidBFXJxhOMBCpC1MlnQ/edit?usp=sharing

These eels glow green. But why?

New research by a team of Baruch scientists reports the discovery  of the first fluorescent protein from a moray eel. The breakthrough was described in a paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science co-authored by WSAS Professors David Gruber and Jean Gaffney (Natural Sciences), along with two CUNY Graduate Center students from Professor Gaffney’s lab at Baruch, Andrew Guarnaccia and Sara Krivoshik.

“This study raises intrigue as to what role the glowing molecule plays in these mysterious marine eels,” Professor Gruber said. “It may be related to attracting each other for full moon mating events.”

The discovery also has implications for pediatric healthcare. “This eel protein has the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool to quickly test for bilirubin levels for childhood jaundice,” Gruber said. “Being able to measure bilirubin from a single drop of blood would be very beneficial, as drawing enough blood from newborns presents challenges.”  This potential application follows up on a patent previously awarded to CUNY. That patent, which was related to this research and childhood jaundice, was awarded to Professors Gruber, Gaffney and Vincent Pieribone in 2018.

Professors Gruber and Gaffney both hold appointments at The Graduate Center as well as at Baruch. Professor Gruber is a marine biologist and Presidential Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at Baruch. Professor Gaffney’s field is chemistry. She was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award that partially funded the research.  The two scientists have been collaborating on this topic for several years.

A recent story published by The Graduate Center, CUNY, focuses on the contributions of the PhD students to the research.

Their recent study includes work by John Sparks, curator of ichthyology at The American Museum of Natural History and professor of Biology at The Graduate Center. Gruber and Sparks created the American Museum of Natural History exhibition “Creatures of Light” in 2011, which broke AMNH attendance records for temporary exhibits. The show returned to AMNH last summer. The eel narrative was also featured prominently in the 1 hour NOVA documentary Creatures of Light.

The team also discovered the mechanisms of biofluorescence in sharks in 2019, which was covered by The New York Times,  PBS, and other outlets. Gruber’s discovery in 2014 of widespread biofluorescence in over 180 species of fish also received widespread media attention.

The New York City Latin American History Workshop (NYCLAHW) is coming to Baruch!  The workshop is a community of emerging and distinguished Latin American scholars across NYC-area universities who share and discuss their works-in-progress.  Most recently, the workshop was hosted at NYU; in previous years it has had residencies at Columbia, SUNY-Stony Brook, and at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Baruch Weissman is honored to have been chosen to host this prestigious annual series of scholarly presentations. Securing the event for Baruch was a collaborative effort of the WSAS Dean’s Office, the Black and Latino Studies Department, the History Department, and ISLA – the Initiative for the Study of Latin America.

“BLS and ISLA are thrilled to support this opportunity to help position Baruch within this important community,” said Professor Shelly Eversley, Interim Chairperson of the Black and Latino Studies Department. “We agree that this opportunity not only provides critical space for professional development and intellectual community, but it will also support our goals to retain faculty who are so eager to know that they can build scholarly careers here at Baruch.  It is the perfect fit for Baruch–especially as the College is poised to become an HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institution), as we recruit new faculty, build community across departments, and as we celebrate the arts and sciences.  The presenters and schedule for the academic year 2021-22 are already set; Baruch faculty will serve as moderators for each meeting. ”

To pre-register for any of the events, email History Professor Mark Rice, [email protected].

Here’s the schedule for the New York City Latin American History Workshops at Baruch:

FALL

October 1, 11 am-1 pm: Jesse Zarley (St. Joseph’s College), “Redefining Puelmapu: The Borogano Mapuche and Juan Manuel de Rosas, 1825-1835”

November 5, 11 am-1 pm: Isadora Mouro Motta (Princeton), “Looking South for Freedom: Brazil and African-American Abolitionists”

December 3, 11 am-1 pm: Renzo Aroni Sulca (Columbia Society of Fellows), “Shorn Women: Gender and Punishment in Peru’s Shining Path”

SPRING

Feb 4: Daniel Mendiola (Vassar), “Sovereignty, Asylum, and the Irony of ‘Strong’ Borders: How Protecting Free Migration Strengthened Central American Borders in the 19th Century, and How 21st-Century Securitization Efforts Are Now Weakening Them”

March 4: Isabella Cosse (CONICET; Columbia), “Revolutionary Love and Political Struggles in the Cold War in Argentina”

April 29: Daniela Traldi (Lehman College), “‘Real’ Feminisms: Gender, Race, and the Far Right in Twentieth-Century Brazil (1920-1985)”​

There’s so much happening this fall at Weissman, we thought it would be useful to create a blog post with a rough calendar of everything we know about so far. We’ll update and repost as we get more details and as the semester progresses. Some events already have Zoom links and registration forms; some are listed as “save the date” items. Want to add or revise something? Email [email protected].

We’ve grouped these events by topic and by series, so be sure to scroll down to see what might be of interest to you.

• September 14, 1 pm. Primer Cafecito: introduction to Latinx programs at Baruch for students. Sponsored by the Initiative for the Study of Latin America (ISLA). Register here
• September 14, 6 pm: Latino, Latina, Latinx: What’s in a Name? Meeting ID 818 9686 9208, passcode BLS2021
• September 21, 12:30 pm.  Puerto Rican visual artist Miguel Trelles in conversation with Baruch students. Email [email protected] for registration details. 
• September 21, 6 pm. Latinas in Activism: Recognizing the involvement and impact of Latinas in social, political, and environmental activism in order to empower and inspire others. Zoom link here
• September 29, 12:30 p.m. Culture Share: Celebrating Latinx Voices. Tell us about the countries and cultures you feel most connected to, and how that has impacted your life. Zoom link here
• September 30, 1-2 pm. A Trip Around Las Américas, sponsored by ISLA. An introduction to culture, traditions, food, music, and history in Latin America and the Caribbean. Register here
• October 21, 1 pm. WSAS Professors Jennifer Caroccio Maldonado (English), Gustavo Quintero (Black and Latino Studies) and Rojo Robles (Black and Latino Studies) host a screening of the film Patitos comiendo arroz, followed by conversation with director Javier Antonio González. They’ll look at experimental filmmaking practices, Boricua-Latinx theater troupes in NYC, queer archives and communities, Manuel Ramos Otero’s work, bilingual poetics, among other topics. Register here

• October 1, 11 am-1 pm: Jesse Zarley (St. Joseph’s College), “Redefining Puelmapu: The Borogano Mapuche and Juan Manuel de Rosas, 1825-1835.” Pre-registration required; email [email protected]
• November 5, 11 am-1 pm: Isadora Moura Mota (Princeton), “Looking South for Freedom: Brazil and African American Abolitionists.” Pre-registration required; email [email protected]
• December 3, 11 am-1 pm: Renzo Aroni Sulca (Columbia Society of Fellows), “Shorn Women: Gender and Punishment in Peru’s Shining Path.” Pre-registration required; email [email protected]

• September 30, 4-5:30 pm. Climate Change: Health Impacts and Health Policy. Moderator: Elizabeth Geltman. Panel: Jeffrey Shaman, Jeremy Hess, Kim Knowlton. Zoom registration:https://baruch.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpd-yrqzssHt0ynUNN6DiWjXAmdCBiYsU7
• October 7, 4-5:30 pm, Climate Change and ​Preparation for NYC Resilience. Moderator: Brett Branco. Speakers: Alice C. Hill, Jainey Bavishi. Save the date.
• November 18, 4-5:30 pm: Climate Change: Artists Respond. Julie Reiss and Katherine Behar, co-discussants. Panel: Mary Mattingly, Anina Gerchick, Xavier Cortada. Zoom registration here https://tinyurl.com/artistsrespond

• September 15, 12:30-2 pm: War in Afghanistan: How Did We Get Here? What’s Next? Sponsored by the WSAS Department of Political Science. Roundtable discussion with a distinguished group of panelists. Register here

• September 29, 12:30 pm: WSAS Professor Erica Richardson (English) presents a chapter from her book-in-progress, “Empirical Desires: Data, Dispossession, and the Aesthetics of the Negro Problem.”
• November 5, 12:30 pm: WSAS Professor Carolyn Abott (Political Science) presents “A Distaste for Deficits: Voter Opinion and Balanced Budgets in the U.S. States.”

• October 14, noon- 1 pm. Social media workshop for faculty. We’ll get you started on Twitter and other platforms if you’re not already there, and we’ll offer tips for rookies as well as veterans, focusing on best practices for scholars and researchers. Co-sponsored with the CUNY Graduate Center, which has presented this workshop a number of times. Save the date.

• October 21, 6 pm. Reading and conversation with Harman writer-in-residence Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, the acclaimed author of The Undocumented Americans. Save the date.

• November 1, 6:30 pm. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Communication Professionals, presented by the WSAS Corporate Communication Graduate Program. Guest speaker: Carmella Glover, DEI Director for the Arthur Page Society. Panel: WSAS Corp Comm MA alumni Mary Anne Ravenel, Diversity Business Partner at Facebook; Sabina Mehmood, Product Manager, Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, and Meeckel Beecher, Global Head of DEI at Shutterstock. Email [email protected] if interested in attending.

• November 9, 5:30 pm. The Soldier’s Story: Listening to Veterans at Baruch. Opening remarks by President David Wu. Speakers include WSAS Professor Glenn Petersen (Sociology/Anthropology), author of War and the Arc of Human Experience. Save the date.

Yu Gan was born and raised in Fujian, China, and earned his BS in math and physics at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He came to the U.S. in 2013 to pursue a career in quantitative finance. The Master in Financial Engineering program at Baruch Weissman was an obvious choice, he said, because it is “world-renowned” for a “cutting-edge curriculum as well as outstanding career service.”

But there was another factor that influenced his choice of schools. He happened to see a student comment on the QuantNet forum that said Weissman Professor Dan Stefanica “cares about your career more than your mom does.”

Today Mr. Gan is a quantitative portfolio manager for Schonfeld Strategic Advisors and the founder of AXQ Capital, LP. He and his husband, Bo-Xiao Zheng, the CIO and co-founder of AxiomQuant Investment Management, have just made a major gift to the MFE program in gratitude for the education Gan received here. The money will be used over five years to support the Gan & Zheng Directorship of Baruch MFE Fund. The directorship will be awarded to the incumbent director of the MFE program, who is Professor Stefanica.

“We have long wanted to express our appreciation and give back to Baruch and the MFE program,” Mr. Gan said. He described the Baruch MFE community as “a real family. It helps you a lot when you are a student in the program. And you still benefit from the community down the road in your career.”

Mr. Gan also cited the “strong alumni network,” which “plays a critical role in connecting the program to the industry. Alumni are helping the program in every possible way. Some voluntarily help mentor current students, some share information about job openings, and some provide insights on how the curriculum should evolve with the industry trends.”

Years after graduating, he added, “I still went back to sit in Professor Jim Gatheral’s class. I asked for help from Professor Andrew Lesniewski when I wanted to make a job move. We sometimes joke that we get a ‘lifetime warranty.’”

Acknowledging the gift on behalf of the College community, Baruch President S. David Wu said, “We are grateful to Yu Gan and Bo-Xiao Zheng for their generous gift in support of Baruch’s world-renowned financial engineering program. Mr. Gan’s story is a testament to the program’s academic rigor, first-class career placement, and most importantly, a genuine care for the wellbeing of the students. Ultimately, Mr. Gan’s gift will help to ensure that future graduates of the program also achieve the highest level of success, as proud alumni of Baruch College.”

Baruch’s MFE program was ranked #1 in the U.S. in the 2021 QuantNet Ranking of MFE Programs and #2 worldwide in the 2021 Risk Quant Finance Master’s Programs Ranking. Its graduates are highly sought-after with more than 90 percent employed in the financial industry. The program offers real-world training in Baruch’s state-of-the-art Wasserman Trading Floor, where faculty train students for trading and financial competitions around the world. Among the outstanding wins, Baruch teams have placed first in the Rotman International Trading Competition in 2021, 2020, 2017, 2016, and 2012 and in the International Association of Financial Engineers competition in 2020, 2017, 2016, and 2015.

A new Financial Engineering Hub is under development to be jointly run by Baruch’s Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and the Zicklin School of Business. The initiative will offer a range of programs and resources including new degree offerings and a Center for Financial Engineering for corporate engagement and partnership.

Baruch’s public safety officers are an integral part of Baruch’s reopening. They’ve processed hundreds and hundreds of ID photos. They’ve patiently explained and enforced vaccine verification and COVID test rules to everyone entering the buildings. And they’ve worked tirelessly since the pandemic hit to keep the campus secure. 

Public Safety Director Robert B. Curry took a few minutes out of his busy day to talk about his pride in his team’s work and his own background. He also offered a few tips to help keep all of us safe as we resume our on-campus routines. 

Chief Curry joined Baruch as director of public safety in January 2020, right before the pandemic hit. Over the next 18 months, he and his team of 80 officers worked onsite, 24 hours a day, initially helping faculty, staff, and students as campus closed down, then keeping facilities secure through the shutdown, and now ensuring a smooth return as in-person classes resume. 

“It takes a special type of person and commitment to navigate and work in stressful situations,” he said. “I’m very proud to have this team.” 

With so many workplaces around the country reporting staffing upheavals, he’s also rightfully proud of a 95 percent retention rate in his department. 

Seeing students back in the buildings and enjoying the new plaza has been wonderful. “I’m thrilled with the interactions we’re having,” he said. And it’s been touching to see so many parents accompanying students to campus as they take that first step on their Baruch journey. “They’ve entrusted their sons and daughters to us,” he said.

While Chief Curry has only been at Baruch for 19 months, he has nearly 30 years of service in public safety at CUNY, first at Hostos Community College from 1992 to 2012, then for seven years at City College, where he was deputy chief. He’s also a three-time CUNY alumnus, with a master’s degree in urban affairs from Queens College, a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Lehman College, and an associate’s degree in public administration from Hostos.

To keep all of us safe as we get back to normal, Chief Curry was kind enough to offer these tips: 

1. Please get vaccinated as it helps us all stay safe
2. Please remember to wear a mask in the appropriate locations and venues
3. The plaza is open and  the weather is warm – let’s take full advantage of that!
4. If you see something, say something to public safety. To report anything unusual or if you need assistance kindly call (646) 660-6000 for the public safety main office
5. Carry your ID at all times as it allows access to all lobby turnstiles.

Are you interested in all things Latinx? Help spread the word about the new Latinx Visions Podcast, hosted by Black and Latino Studies Professors Rojo Robles Mejias and Rebecca Salois. The podcast looks at Latinx culture, arts, media, literature, TV, film, and more, with a focus in the first season on Latinas. Listen to the introductory episode here or subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Both professors are alumni of the CUNY Graduate Center’s PhD program in Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures (LAILAC).

The podcast’s first season will focus on Latinas, with forthcoming episodes examining Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel in verse, Clap When You Land; the film Mosquita y Mari; the Netflix show One Day at a Time; and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s The Undocumented Americans, which was a National Book Award finalist and one of Obama’s favorite books from last year. (Cornejo Villavicencio is also a writer-in-residence this year at Baruch.) Another episode will also look at the grassroots organization Mixteca.

Follow @latinxvisions on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with future episodes.

Bridgett Davis, professor of journalism and creative writing in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, was the keynote speaker for Baruch’s 2021 Fall Student Convocation on August 24, 2021. Professor Davis’ acclaimed memoir, The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers, was selected as the first-year text that new students are expected to read before the fall semester begins.

Set in Detroit during the turbulent 1960s and ’70s, the book recounts how Professor Davis’ mother made “a way out of no way” and achieved the American dream by running an underground lottery business, and providing a prosperous life for her family.

We spoke with Professor Davis about her work and her advice for incoming students.

Q: How does it feel having your nationally acclaimed memoir The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in The Detroit Numbers selected as the first-year text for two consecutive years?

A: I am both honored and thrilled! It says to me that I’ve achieved my goal with this memoir — to share my mother’s personal story in a way that is specific to our lives, but also universal.

Q: What do you hope first-year students will learn reading your memoir?

A: My hope is that first-year students reading my memoir will learn a piece of American history in the best possible way — through a personal story of one woman who had to figure out “a way out of no way,” thanks to society’s systemic racism; yet she triumphed. I hope students will learn the specific ways in which governmental policy coupled with widespread discrimination has placed unnecessary obstacles in the paths of African Americans seeking to simply pursue the American dream. I hope they understand just what racial justice looks like. And I hope many of these students see their own families’ stories reflected in my own.

Q: Do you have any words of advice for the Class of 2025?

A: My advice to the Class of 2025 is to be kind to yourselves. Know that you’re entering college at an unprecedented time in history — amidst a global pandemic — and as such, you’re facing a challenge most of us never had to face as incoming college students. My hope is that this reality also reminds you of your own perseverance, your own ability to step into the unknown despite some trepidation, yet with  determination. Yours is an extraordinary generation of young people who’ve faced more, seen more, taught us more than ever before. Use that insight, and that tenacity to your advantage.

Q: Anything else you would like to share with new Baruch students?

A: I’m a first-generation college student whose mother worked long and hard at an unorthodox profession to give me the opportunity to succeed. Teaching at Baruch is proof of that success, and giving back to students is my way of saying thank you to her, of honoring her sacrifice.

Q: Your book is being adapted into a major feature film. What’s the latest on that?

A: I’m working hard on a new draft of the screenplay for the film adaptation of my memoir, and my hope is that we’ll go into production in 2022!

Welcome to the new Weissman blog. We’re excited about resuming in-person classes this fall, and we can’t wait to meet our new students and reconnect with returning students. We’ll be using the blog to publicize events, amplify good news, and offer a variety of stories of interest to the Baruch Weissman community. Feel free to reach out with any ideas: [email protected].