April 2024

Wei Fang, PhD (Biology, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) is Assistant Professor of Biology. Professor Fang recently received funding by American Councils for International Education in 2022 to offer teaching workshops in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan. The workshops, titled “Modernizing Curriculum towards the Goals of UN SDGs for Central Asian Universities: Climate Action and Sustainability Development” and “Advancing Key Curriculums of Ecology and Environmental Sciences for Regional Universities in Kazakhstan & Beyond” respectively were well received and showcased in various media in Central Asia. 



Professor Fang has published several papers resulting from this collaboration, including “Effects of long-term grazing on feed intake and digestibility of cattle in meadow steppe” Agronomy 13.7 (June 2023); “Comparative verification of leaf area products for different grassland types in Inner Mongolia, China” Remote Sensing 15.19 (September 2023), “Grazing-induced cattle behavior modulate the secondary production in a Eurasian steppe ecosystem.” Science of the Total Environment 889 (September 2023);“Quantifying key vegetation parameters from Sentinel-3 and MODIS over the eastern Eurasian steppe with a Bayesian geostatistical model” in Science of the Total Environment 909 (January 2024). She was also invited to give a webinar talk to NASA CARIN group.

Overall, Professor Fang’s research covers several ecological frontiers, including patterns and mechanisms of invasive plant impacts on urbanized landscape; vegetation responses and resilience to climate change; and epigenetics of flora forms and fauna pigmentation in response to environmental changes. Her current research aims to address the sustainability of different ecosystems across local, regional, and global scales.

S. Perl Egendorf, PhD (Environmental Studies and Science, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences; they/she) joined Pace in 2023. Egendorf studies soils and their intersections with environmental justice. Professor Egendorf recently completed a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant with the NYC Compost Project Hosted by Earth Matter. Egendorf also co-authored

 a graphic book about lead in soil with Legacy Lead, a coalition of over 25 organizations in NYC. Egendorf co-convened this coalition to limit exposure to lead in soil and support the creation of the Clean Soil Bank, the only free municipal clean soil distribution system in the country.

Professor Egendorf gave several invited talks and keynotes this year, including at Indiana University, The CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, The CUNY Graduate Center, the American Geophysical Union, NYC Park’s GreenThumb, and NYBG’s Crazy for Composting. They raised a total of $40,000 through the Story Exchange’s Women In Science Incentive Prize; Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) for Carbon Sponge; and through the Pace Dean’s Initiative Fund, initiated by Monica Palta, PhD (Environmental Studies and Science, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences).

In collaboration with the Office of Multicultural Affairs' Anti-Racist Advocates Working Group and the Pace Sustainability Initiative, Professor Egendorf is supporting the creation of a new Land and Labor Acknowledgement Urban Farm on the Pace NYC campus. In the coming fall, they will teach a new course called Soils and Society: The Critical Zone, which will explore intersections between soil and social justice, engaging students in analyzing the soils of Pace’s new Urban Farm.

Faculty News

Rebecca Tekula, PhD (Public Administration, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Executive Director of the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship), Matthew Bolt0n, PhD (Political Science, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD (Public Administration, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences),

Ric Kolenda, PhD (Public Administration, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), Heather Novak, MPA (Director, Center of Community Action and Research, PLV), and Adrian Rivero (Communications and events manager, Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship) were awarded a $25,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation to establish an undergraduate fellowship to create the next generation of leaders working on the governance of New York City waterways.

Titled “The City and the Sea: A New York City Fellowship in Civics and Public Service,” this program seeks to foster an interest in and appreciation for public service, at the local level where the decisions made can significantly impact their individual lives. These efforts will be integrated with various initiatives at Pace University to enhance strategies for student success and experiential learning.

Pace University will draw upon its strong connections with neighborhood organizations and agencies, as well as its partnerships with key stakeholders along New York Harbor, to offer a comprehensive program. Furthermore, the fellowship program will conclude with a full-time summer funded fellowship placement working in a government agency or partner organization that is working on issues related to the water and the waterfront. 

The program is a partnership between Helene T. and Grant M. Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship, the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences departments of Public Administration and Political Science, and the Center for Community Action and Research.

Melvin Williams, PhD (Communication and Media Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) published an article in Popular Studies Journal for its special issue on "Queering Blackness: Non-Binary Black Representations in Post-Obama Popular Cultures." The article titled, "' I Never Hesitated:' A Quare Analysis of Rap Non-Binary Identity in Lil Uzi Vert's 032c Interview” examines Lil Uzi Vert's 032c interview to interrogate their intersectional articulations of being Black, non-binary, and a rapper in a music genre hardcoded with gender-binarism, heteropatriarchal misogyny, and queerphobia.

Professor Williams was also quoted in two USA Today articles entitled "O.J. Simpson Just Died. Is it Too Soon to Talk about His Troubled Past?" and "Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets Department' and When Lyrics about Dying, Grief, Heartbreak Trigger You."

Elmer-Rico E. Mojica, PhD (Chemistry and Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) co-authored a paper titled "Botanical origin and extraction methods of Philippine stingless bee (Tetragonula biroi Friese) pollen and its food functionality: Phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity” in in Philippine Stingless Bee Pollen Food Functionality 14.1 (2024). Two of his undergraduate students Fernando Salcedo (Biology 2021) and Carly Sullivan (Forensic Science 2023) contributed on the paper which is about investigating the antioxidant activity, phenolic, and flavonoid content of stingless bee (Tetragonula biroi) pollen samples from various regions in the Philippines. They compared extraction methods and found that the phenolic content of bee pollen weakly correlates with its antioxidant activity, suggesting other bioactive compounds may be influential.

Elmer-Rico E. Mojica (Chemistry and Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) co-authored a paper titled " Botanical origin and extraction methods of Philippine stingless bee (Tetragonula biroi Friese) pollen and its food functionality: Phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity” in Philippine Stingless Bee Pollen Food Functionality 14.1 (2024). Two of his undergraduate students Fernando Salcedo (Biology 2021) and Carly Sullivan (Forensic Science 2023) contributed on the paper which is about investigating the antioxidant activity, phenolic, and flavonoid content of stingless bee (Tetragonula biroi) pollen samples from various regions in the Philippines. They compared extraction methods and found that the phenolic content of bee pollen weakly correlates with its antioxidant activity, suggesting other bioactive compounds may be influential.

Phil Cohen, JD, LLM (Legal Studies and Taxation, NYC, Lubin School of Business) published “Blocked Income & 3M Company & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner-The Chevron Step One Argument” in The Tax Lawyer (Winter 2024), a publication of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation in collaboration with Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Professor Cohen’s article concerns a very important recent Tax Court decision, 3M Company & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, wherein the court ruled in a split 9 to 8 opinion that the Internal Revenue Service had the authority (including being procedurally valid in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act) under its 1994 blocked income regulation, Regulation section 1.482-1(h)(2) to reallocate foreign income that was allegedly restricted under Brazilian law. Professor Cohen argued that the Tax Court holding was contrary to precedent including a Supreme Court decision and as such the Treasury regulation in question was invalid and the Tax Court decision should be reversed by the Court of Appeals.

Jennifer Pankowski, EdD (School of Education, NY) published “Educating Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders through a Response to Intervention Model of Developing Behavior Intervention Plans in a Multiple Case Study Model” in the Journal of Behavioural Science & Psychology (March 2024). The ability of a teacher to manage a classroom has long been acknowledged as a major skill necessary for effective teaching. It is vital for a teacher therefore, to use methodologies which simultaneously address behavior management plans while continuing to meet the child’s individual academic needs and strengths. For students with emotional/behavioral disorders, they may have already become socially mal-adjusted by the time they are classified and receiving individualized services. When a student is unable to socially adapt at an early age the repercussions are often vast, however the Response to Intervention (RTI) model of intervention allows teachers to identify specific learning needs and prevent unnecessary special education placements. RTI presents an effective way for teachers to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom by providing the necessary academic, behavioral and emotional interventions early on.

Charlene F. Blando-Hoegler, PhD (Biology, PLV, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) and colleague Carl S. Hoegler, PhD (Mount Saint Mary College) have presented a poster--“Osmoregulation and metabolic enzymes in Anguilla rostrata (Americal eel) - a threatened species” – at the 2024 Northeast Natural History Conference, Albany N.Y.



Anguilla rostrata (American eel) undergoes five distinct life history changes: post larval leptocephalus; glass eel juveniles ;elvers; yellow young adults and silver adults. Leptocephalus larvae migrate from the Sargasso Sea of the southern Atlantic Ocean into estuary/ rivers in North America, making a transition from marine environment to freshwater. Little is known about the mechanisms allowing eel survival under these conditions. In this study juvenile stages obtained from one Hudson River tributary displayed 100% survival at different dilutions of artificial seawater (ASW) (n=8). However there were weight fluctuations when eels were placed in 0% and 100% ASW(and not 10% or 50%).

In addition, isoforms of three different enzymes in eels transferred to/ from different salinities exhibit subtle changes in activity. The changes appear to play a role as the young fish adapt from seawater to freshwater environments. Many eel species are threatened and some are endangered so the researchers are exploring physiological factors that contribute to species conservation.

Call for Applications

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences Awards

(formerly known as the Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experiences Awards)



The Pace University Office of Sponsored Research invites proposals for funding of up to $5,000 to support the incorporation of research and creative inquiry into the undergraduate curriculum. This award process is committed to supporting the developmental integration of research across the curriculum referred to as “scaffolding” in undergraduate research pedagogy. This approach prioritizes the value of inquiry-based learning through the research or creative inquiry process at introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels of instruction across disciplines and schools. This can be done

through the significant revision of existing courses and the creation of new Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). Our goal is to make course-based research and creative inquiry more inclusive and available to all students as the experiential pedagogy that distinguishes Pace undergraduate education. Examples of eligible course projects include partnering with a community organization to develop a course-based research or creative inquiry project; incorporating physical or digital archival research into a course; or enhancing labs to emphasize exploration and inquiry.

Call for Applications

Extended Application Deadline: Wednesday, May 8, 2024

"Managing Gender Inequity in Academia," a book talk luncheon with author and Wilson Center Faculty Fellow Gina Scutelnicu Todoran, PhD, Public Administration Department.

Thursday, May 2nd at 12:20 p.m.

Please RSVP here. The discussion will be held over lunch in the Zannino Conference room on the first floor of One Pace Plaza. 

Managing Gender Inequity in Academia is the first book to provide an evidence-based guide for university administrators and faculty interested in building all-important gender equity in public affairs and related programs. It is a guide for building gender equity in public affairs programs for faculty, higher education administrators, and graduate students in public affairs and related disciplines. 

Pace Public Affairs, a vital component of University Relations, is dedicated to showcasing and supporting our faculty and staff through media interviews and grant opportunities. Our Media Relations team actively pitches compelling stories and press releases to a wide array of media outlets, amplifying the impact of Pace's thought leadership. We strategically utilize Op-Eds to further elevate our influence in shaping important conversations. 

Within Government and Community Relations, we're relentless in identifying and securing government funding opportunities that benefit Pace University. Additionally, we actively lobby lawmakers on issues pertinent to higher education, ensuring that our voice is heard in legislative matters. Our commitment extends to fostering strong relationships with government officials, community stakeholders, and external organizations. By serving as liaisons, we facilitate meaningful communication and collaboration that enhances Pace's standing within the community. 

Our goal is to enhance Pace University's standing and influence through multifaceted engagement with our local community, elected officials, the broader public, and the media. We strive to advance Pace's mission by effectively communicating timely information to external audiences, ensuring transparency and alignment with our institutional values. Our approach integrates communication strategies, advocacy efforts, and partnerships in alignment with Pace University's broader strategic direction, fostering a cohesive and impactful presence in the higher education landscape. 

Comprising six dedicated members, our team includes: 

• Jerry McKinstry, AVP Public Affairs, overseeing media and public affairs & government relations in Westchester. 
• Sean Coughlin, AVP Public Affairs, spearheading efforts with City Hall, NYC government, and community partners. 
• Howard Matzner, Media Manager 
• Shannon Thyberg, Public Affairs Associate 
• Two Pace Public Affairs Fellows: Madia Bestman & Hitasha Nagdeo 

For inquiries or further information, please reach out to us through the contact details provided here.

To delve deeper into our work and initiatives, visit our website.

Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems is launching a new artificial intelligence (AI) lab. Housed on the New York City campus, the lab will not only offer training and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff, but also extend its training initiatives for local business and community members.

The lab co-Directors are Christelle Scharff, PhD (Associate Dean, Professor, Computer Science, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS) and Katie Todd, MS (Assistant Dean of Strategy and Engagement, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS).

"Pace is exceptionally positioned as a leader in AI research and development," said Katie Todd. "We've been doing it for a long time. Seidenberg alumni are working at some of the hottest AI companies–and our students are consistently building and launching their own AI-driven apps."

"The AI Lab at Pace University will permit us to consolidate, strengthen and extend the existing AI initiatives and create exciting new ones in education and research leveraging partnerships within and outside the university," said Professor Christelle Scharff.



AI is the ultimate interdisciplinary and, working with subject matter experts in healthcare, business (including marketing and FinTech), fashion, the arts, among others, the AI Lab plans to develop industry specific tools leveraging appropriate AI technologies. 

2024 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)

Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, Assistant Provost for Research served as faculty coordinator and advisor for seven Pace undergraduate students who presented their research projects at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), April 8-10 in Long Beach, California. Organized by the Council on Undergraduate Research in partnership with the California State University – Long Beach (CSUL), NCUR 2024 hosted over 4300 participants and featured outstanding undergraduate research and creative inquiry projects selected through a competitive review process. The NCUR 2024 Pace Team Members answered a university-wide call to apply to NCUR and consisted of Morgan Amos (Dyson, Chemistry, Faculty Mentor: Karen Caldwell, PhD); Michael Conrad (Dyson, Political Science, Faculty Mentor: Amy Freedman, PhD); Samara Durgadin (Dyson, Biology, Faculty Mentor: Eric Brenner, PhD); Kevin Huang (Dyson, Biology, Faculty mentor: Eric Brenner, PhD); Margaret Kelly (Dyson, Criminal Justice, Faculty Mentor: Garret FitzGerald, PhD); Mandy Mao (Lubin, Accounting, Faculty Mentor: Joseph Lee, PhD); and Cailyn Mickelsen (Dyson, English, Faculty Mentor: Sid Ray, PhD).

Professor Iacullo-Bird and the entire NCUR student team

For additional information about undergraduate research at Pace, visit the Pace Undergraduate Research Website

 Spring 2024 Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Days

• Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Day/NYC Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. | 15 Beekman, Bianco Room
• Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Day/PLV Friday, May 3, 2024 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Gottesman Room
• Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Day/NYC Friday, May 3, 2024 | 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. & Reception 5 p.m.- 7 p.m.

The Spring 2024 Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Days will showcase undergraduates from across the schools and colleges who have engaged in faculty-mentored research and creative inquiry! Students will have the opportunity to present their scholarly and artistic work that was completed as part of a course-based research or creative inquiry assignment, award program, co-curricular project, or in fulfillment of their Senior Capstones.



Consult the undergraduate research website for program details. Please visit these events and support our student scholars!

Faculty Undergraduate Research Mentor Award

Professor Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, collaborated with the Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) Faculty Advisory Board in developing a call for Faculty Undergraduate Research Mentor Award nominations.  This award will honor faculty members who have demonstrated exemplary mentoring of Pace undergraduate students in research and creative inquiry projects. Supporting this pilot year is a generous donor gift which will fund up to three awards of $500 each.

Faculty Mentor Award eligibility requirements and application instructions are accessible here: https://undergraduateresearch.pace.edu/faculty-support/#mentoraward

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 15 and award notification is planned for the end of May. Submit a completed application to undergraduateresearch@pace.edu.

For more information and questions contact:

Norma Quiridumbay, CURE Director of Operations at nquiridumbay@pace.edu



Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD., Assistant Provost for Research at miacullobird@pace.edu

Prestigious Awards and Fellowships

The application for the 2025-2026 Fulbright is now open, and our campus deadline is September 5, 2024. Students interested in graduate school and cultural exchange might also want to consider the Rangel Scholarship, which fully funds a Masters degree and provides entry into the U.S. Foreign Service. The next deadline for this award has not yet been announced, but last year’s was September 23. The Pickering Fellowship (which typically has the same deadline as Rangel) and the Payne Fellowship (typically with a late-October deadline) fund graduate school for those interested in international careers. The Office of Prestigious Awards is available to help interested students throughout the application process, including assistance with the required essays.

For more information and questions contact:

Moira Egan, PhD, Director of Prestigious Awards and Graduate Fellowships, 

at megan@pace.edu

Stay connected: visit us at www.pace.edu/office-of-research