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2024 AchievementsRecent faculty, student, and alumni accomplishments

The distinct silhouette of AU's Hall of Science

September

Will Barnes (Physics) received supplemental funding of $87,461 (new total: $147,461) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “How Are Active Region Properties and Heating Connected?”

Lindsay Barr (Arts Management) was awarded the American Theatre & Drama Society’s Contingent Faculty Research/Travel Grant. Barr will use the award to conduct archival research at the New York Public Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive for her monograph project Staging Stigma: Representations of Madness in American Musical Theatre

Kim Blankenship (Sociology) received a $24,818 grant from the George Washington University (GWU) for the project “DC CFAR Pathway Program: Developing an Inclusive Generation of HIV Researchers through Diversity and Community.” Blankenship also received supplemental funding of $13,481 from the George Washington University for the project “District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR).” She was also awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for nearly $3.5 million for research on the impacts of structural racism in health. 

Dale Broder (Biology) received a $73,362 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project “Collaborative Research: IGE: Track 2: SciComm LIFT: Leveraging Institutional capacity for eFfective graduate student Training.”

Frederick Bruhweiler (Physics) received supplemental funding of $25,000 (new total: $317,869.17) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Continued Development of IR & Visible Spectrometer and Imaging Arrays for Ground-based & Space-borne Planetary Observations.” He also received supplemental funding of $40,000 (new total: $100,000) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Development of the MeDDEA Instrument for the PADRE CubeSat Mission to Observe the Sun In High-Energy X-rays.” 

Ernesto Castaneda’s (Sociology, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies) research about contributions of immigrants to the U.S. economy was featured in an article in the Latin Times. C-SPAN covered a panel discussion on US immigration policy at AU featuring Ernesto Castaneda, director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, Lauren Carruth, associate professor in the School of International Service, Amy Dacey, executive director of the Sine Institute of Policy and Politics, and Amb. Anthony Wayne, Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at SIS.

Thomas Costello (Psychology) is leading a pathbreaking research study with a team from American University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cornell University that shows that conspiracy theorists changed their views after short conversations with artificial intelligence. Costello was the lead author of the new study published in the journal Science. The New York Times, Popular Science, The Guardian, and other outlets provided coverage.

David Culver (Environmental Science) received a $89,518 grant from the National Park Service for the project “The Subterranean Fauna of Seepage Springs in National Capital Parks East (NACE).”

Molly Dondero (Sociology, CHRS) received a $25,000 grant from the University of Pennsylvania for the project “Reproductive Responses to the Zika Virus Epidemic in Brazil.”

Francesca Emanuele (Anthropology), a PhD student, published an article in Foreign Policy about the Organization of American States (OAS) and the discrepancies between the organization's leadership and the majority of its member countries regarding the military operations of Israel in Gaza.

Dara W. Ford (Health Studies) was featured in WalletHub's recent article about Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians.

Amos Golan (Economics) received supplemental funding of $15,000 (new total: $161,624) from the USDA for the project “The Value of Publicly Available Information and Data.”

Ignacio Gonzalez-Garcia (Economics) received supplemental funding of $250,000 (new total: $998,097) from the New Venture Fund for the project “Aggregate, Sectorial and Distributional Effects of Corporate Taxation.”

Kyle Hackett's (Studio Art) painting After Image is featured in the National Portrait Gallery (London) exhibition Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024. The exhibition and competition showcases the best of contemporary portrait painting.

Nathan Harshman (Physics) received supplemental funding of $50,000 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium Budget Proposal for National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2020-2024.” 

Philip Johnson (Physics) received supplemental funding of $58,288.28 (new total: $405,044) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Interpreting Cassini CIRS Data with a Photochemical Model using Improved ab initio Reaction Rate Coefficients.” He also received supplemental funding of $46,340.17 (new total: $158,837.17) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Revealing Primitive Material Preserved in Solar System Small Bodies.”

Peter Kuznick (History) spoke with ZVEZDA, CNN News18, NDTV, Times Now India, xxx, WION TV, NTV, TVC, REN TV (Russia), and Eurasianet about a variety of topics ranging from nuclear weapons history to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Allan Lichtman (History), the famed creator of the 13 Keys to the White House, revealed his prediction for the 2024 presidential race in a video in the New York Times. Lichtman’s prediction was subsequently featured in media outlets including USA Today, CNN, The Guardian, The Hill, CNBC, Business Insider, The Economic Times, and Washingtonian

Isaac Morales (second year clinical psych PhD student) has been named to this year’s cohort of Health Policy Research Scholars by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

Rachel Louise Snyder (Literature) wrote a 7,000 word article in the New York Times exploring the legal parameters around self-defense and intimate partner violence in homicide cases.

Danielle Mysliwiec (Art) received residency artist awards from the Tides Institute & Museum and the Long Meadow Art Residency supporting her scholarship.

Walter Park (Economics) was named a Marian Rogers Croak Visiting Scholar by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The award is named after an eminent engineer and National Hall of Fame inventor who pioneered the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.  

Liana Petruzzi (Health Studies) received a $122,796 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project “Improving Perinatal Mental Health Among Latinas through a Culturally Adapted, Multi Level Intervention.”

Nathaniel Roth (Physics) received a $14,043 grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) for the project “Quantitative Study on the Search for Sulfur-bearing Molecular Ice Signatures.”

MJ Rymsza-Pawlowska (History) was awarded a Us@250 Fellowship by New America. 

Polina Vinogradova (World Languages and Cultures, TESOL) co-authored the book Digital Storytelling as Translanguaging: A Practical Guide for Language Educators (Routledge, 2024). She also co-authored the article "Digital storytelling for peacebuilding in a multilingual community" in the TESOL Journal.

August

Vladimir Airapetian (Physics) received supplemental funding of $35,642 from the Space Telescope Science Institute for the project "An X-ray through Radio Exo-Space Weather Campaign to Study the Infant Sun DS Tuc.”

Mike Alonzo (Environmental Science) spoke with WAMU about how planting more trees to lower the urban heat island (UHI) effects could be an appropriate response to DC having experienced its hottest summer on record in 2024.

Laura Beers (History) spoke with The Gray Area podcast on Vox about her new book, Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the 21st Century (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024).

Kim Blankenship (Sociology) received a $726,639 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project "Addressing the Impacts of Structural Racism on Race Inequities in Health: A Focus on Mass Incarceration, Housing, and their Intersection.” Anticipated total funding for this project over the course of five years is $3,408,397.

Michael Brenner (Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies) authored an article for The Conversation about the recruitment tactics of the Israel Defense Forces. 

Dale Broder (Biology) received a $73,362 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project "Collaborative Research: IGE: Track 2: SciComm LIFT: Leveraging Institutional Capacity for Effective Graduate Student Training.”

Frederick Bruhweiler (Physics) received supplemental funding of $100,000 (new total: $292,869.17) from NASA for the project "Continued Development of IR & Visible Spectrometer and Imaging Arrays for Ground-based & Space-borne Planetary Observations.”

Raychelle Burks (Chemistry) was appointed to the National Academies' Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST).

Alice Coyne (Psychology) received a $22,332 grant from the American Psychological Foundation for the project "Leveraging New Technologies to Optimize Psychotherapy Outcomes for Underserved Populations.”

Ignacio González and Juan Montecino (co-directors, Institute for Macroeconomic & Policy Analysis) co-authored an opinion piece for Bloomberg Tax Insights about the upcoming expiration of the 2017 tax cuts and levying higher taxes on corporations and wealthy households. 

Gregory Harry (Physics) received a $139,844 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project "Collaborative Research: Development and Characterization of AlGaAs Coatings for Gravitational-wave Detectors.”

Philip Johnson (Physics) received supplemental funding of $88,416 (new total: $165,594.75) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project "Spectroscopic Investigations of Processed Planetary and Astrophysical Ices with the Sublimation Laboratory Ice Millimeter/submillimeter Experiment.” He also received supplemental funding of $119,759.60 (new total: $1,158,864.60) from NASA for the project "Remote Sensing of Planetary Atmospheres in the Solar System and Beyond."

Caroline Kuo (Health Studies) received supplemental funding of $54,895 (new total: $148,251) from Brown University for the project "Advancing Integrated Alcohol-HIV Training of Frontline Providers in a Global Priority Setting.”

Peter Kuznick (History) spoke with Izvestia, Kyoto News, Republic TV, TASS News, NTV, CNN News 18, WION News, RTVI, and Times Now India about a variety of topics ranging from nuclear weapons history to the ongoing conflicts in the word.

Allan Lichtman (History) was interviewed by C-SPAN about the 2024 presidential election and his book, Predicting the Next President: The Keys to the White House (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2020). He also spoke with Fox News, Newsweek, and News Nation.

Nicole Lorenzo (Psychology) received a $124,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the project "Health Policy Research Scholars Cohort Eight — 2024.”

Pamela Nadell (Jewish Studies) was featured in a Q&A in Washington Jewish Week.

Nathaniel Roth (Physics) received a $76,576 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project "Comet Chemistry Beyond the H2O Sublimation Zone: Interferometric Imaging and Spectroscopy of Distant Comets.”

Thurka Sangaramoorthy (Anthropology) received supplemental funding of $77,597 (new total: $165,676) from the University of Maryland for the project "Research Employing Environmental Systems and Occupational Health Policy Analyses to Interrupt the Impact of Structural Racism on Agricultural Workers and Their Respiratory Health (RESPIRAR)."

Stacey Snelling (Health Studies) received a $185,000 grant from the DC Department of Health for the project "Marketing Landscape Assessment Washington, DC.”

Tracy Weitz (Center on Health, Risk, and Society) spoke with The New York Times about the impact of Roe v. Wade on clinics that provide abortion services.

Alexander Zestos (Chemistry) received a $151,490 grant from Spiro Neuro, LLC for the project "Dual-function Carbon Modified-Silicon Microelectrodes for Biomolecule Detection with Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry and Electrophysiology Recording and Stimulation.” He also received a $988,054 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his project "Dual-function Carbon Modified-Silicon Microelectrodes for Biomolecule Detection with Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry and Electrophysiology Recording and Stimulation.”

The American University Humanities Truck was featured in a story by the Mellon Foundation.

Several CAS professors were announced as 2024-25 members of the Center for Teaching, Research & Learning (CTRL) Faculty Fellows cohort:

  • Coco Benitez (Health Studies): Adjunct Faculty Fellow
  • Krisztina Domjan (Literature): Artificial Intelligence in Teaching & Research Faculty Fellow (in partnership with the Office of Academic Integrity)
  • Stina Oakes (Literature): AU Core Faculty Fellow (in partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Education)
  • Evan Reister (Health Studies): Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) Faculty Fellow (two-year fellowship).

July

Nicole Angotti (Sociology) received supplemental funding of $19,446 (new total: $367,138) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project “Intergenerational Intervention: Employing Youth to Promote Aging Healthy with HIV in Rural South Africa.”

Dan Arbell, scholar-in-residence in the Department of History, spoke with CBC News about the optics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to DC.

Michael Baron (Mathematics and Statistics) became an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

Boncho Bonev (Physics) received a $57,824 grant from Johns Hopkins University for the project “Disentangling natal and post-formation processing in comets through high-resolution infrared observations.”

Frederick Bruhweiler (Physics) received a $40,756 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Searching for Superflares and Eruption Events from an Infant Sun, EK Dra.” He also received a $60,000 grant from NASA for the project “Development of the MeDDEA Instrument for the PADRE CubeSat Mission to Observe the Sun In High-Energy X-rays.”

Orisanmi Burton’s (Anthropology) book Tip of the Spear (University of California Press, 2023) has been named a finalist for the 25th Susanne M. Glasscock Book Prize.

Elizabeth Cotter (Health Studies) received supplemental funding of $142,247 (new total: $716,046) for the project “Reducing Maternal Stress to Improve Obesity-related Parenting Practices.”

Alice Coyne (Psychology) received a $20,000 grant from the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy for the project “Leveraging New Technologies to Optimize Psychotherapy Outcomes for Underserved Populations.”

Gregory Harry (Physics) received supplemental funding of $12,887 (new total: $79,406) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project “Collaborative Research: Center for Coatings Research.”

Taisuke Izumi (Biology) received a $75,000 grant from the Center for Aids Research (CFAR) for the project “Comprehensive Functional HIV Cure Strategy: The Role of HDAC, PARP, and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Latency Reversal and Immune Activation.”

Justin Jacobs (History) spoke with The Telegraph about myths surrounding certain ancient Chinese artifacts in British museums.

Philip Johnson (Physics) received supplemental funding of $41,956 (new total: $198,655.21) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Modeling of Exoplanet Atmospheres and Climates.” He also received supplemental funding of $112,116.55 (new total: $1,039,105) for the project “Remote Sensing of Planetary Atmospheres in the Solar System and Beyond.”

Laura Juliano (Behavioral Pharmacology and Health Promotion Laboratory, Psychology) spoke with e Not Alone about handling withdrawal when reducing caffeine intake.

David Kearns (Psychology) received supplemental funding of $320,217 (new total: $960,784) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project “Opioid and Psychostimulant Taking: Testing the Impact of Behavioral Economic Contexts.”

Allan Lichtman (History) spoke with USA Today about the conversation surrounding President Biden’s debate performance. He also spoke with the New York Times about the consequences should President Biden exit the presidential race. He also authored an article for the New York Daily News about why Vice President Harris would be the Democrats’ best candidate for the 2024 race.

Tracy Weitz (Sociology) spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the influx in financial support for abortion rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Alexander Zestos (Chemistry) published “Voltammetric detection of Neuropeptide Y using a modified sawhorse waveform” in the Journal of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

Guy Ziv (Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies) spoke with LAist about the Israeli Supreme Court ruling on compulsory military service for the Ultra Orthodox.

June

Valentina Aquila (Environmental Science) received supplemental funding of $153,091 (new total: $238,479) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Estimating the impacts of volcanic aerosol and pyroCb smoke on model forecasts and data assimilation using the GEOS Analysis Increments.”

Michael Brenner (Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies) spoke with All Things Considered about the history of Zionism.

Frederick Bruhweiler (Physics) received supplemental funding of $10,000.17 (new total: $192,869.17) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Continued Development of IR & Visible Spectrometer and Imaging Arrays for Ground-based & Space-borne Planetary Observations.”

Robert Connelly (Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies) spoke with The Washington Blade about the history of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric used by members of the Republican Party.

Leah Ding (Computer Science) received a $148,430 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Enhancing Ice Cloud Retrieval Through Multitask Machine Learning.”

Peter Kuznick (History, Nuclear Studies Institute) co-authored an article for Responsible Statecraft about the potential future of the war in Ukraine.

Allan Lichtman (History) spoke with POLITICO about President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.

Jessica Owens-Young (Health Studies) received a $78,558 grant from the University of Minnesota for the project “NACCHO COVID Health Equity Grant.”

Stacey Snelling (Health Studies) received supplemental funding of $25,000 (new total: $150,000) from the DC Department of Health for the project “Food Matters: Nourishing the Body and Soul (SNAP-Ed) - Year 2.”

Ricardo Torres (Economics) spoke to DW about the private sector in Cuba and access to the U.S. financial system.

Tracy Weitz (Center for Health, Risk and Society) spoke with Mother Jones about the lack of data and statistics surrounding abortion care post-Dobbs.

Megan Wysocki (undergraduate student in Economics) spoke with BBC News about Swiftonomics, the course she co-created about the economic impact of Taylor Swift.

May

Dan Arbell (Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies) spoke with LiveNOW from Fox about the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to end its operation in Rafah.

Naomi Baron (emerita, World Languages and Cultures) authored an article for The Conversation on how the power of touch is vital for both reading and writing

Laura Beers (History) wrote an article for CNN about the unrealistic portrayal of real estate in the movie “Notting Hill.”

Frederick Bruhweiler (Physics) received supplemental funding of $60,000 (new total: $835,702.74) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Developing Technologies for Instruments to Study High-Energy Processes in the Solar Atmosphere.”

Silvina Guidoni (Physics) received supplemental funding of $21,699 (new total: $30,699) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Comprehensive Solar Eruption Models: Understanding Flare Arcades from the Global to Kinetic Scales.”

Naima Hachad (World Languages & Cultures) received a $5,000 grant from the Albertine Foundation for the project “French Language Living-Learning Community (LLC).”

Mary Eschelbach Hansen (Economics) spoke with Business Insider about the history of women in banking and finance.

Nathan Harshman (Physics) received supplemental funding of $860,000 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium Budget Proposal for National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2020-2024.”

Philip Johnson (Physics) received a $112,497 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Revealing Primitive Material Preserved in Solar System Small Bodies.” He also received supplemental funding of $61,806.05 (new total: $926,988.45) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Remote Sensing of Planetary Atmospheres in the Solar System and Beyond.” He also received supplemental funding of $79,411.72 (new total: $346,755.72) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Interpreting Cassini CIRS Data with a Photochemical Model using Improved ab initio Reaction Rate Coefficients.”

Jo-Ann Jolly (Health Studies) spoke with One Green Planet about the health benefits of almond milk.

Karen Knee (Environmental Science) spoke with WPLN News about the negative health effects of oil and gas projects on local communities.

Pankaj Kumar (Physics) received supplemental funding of $107,285 (new total: $167,285) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Understanding How Solar Filament Channels Form.”

Caroline Kuo (Health Studies) received supplemental funding of $567,917 (new total: $1,252,673) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project “Testing the Efficacy of Safe South Africa: An Intervention to Prevent HIV Risk and Interpersonal Violence Among Adolescent Boys.”

Allan Lichtman (History) spoke with CNN about President Joe Biden’s campaign advantages. He also spoke with USA Today about his formula “The 13 Keys to the White House” — used to accurately predict every presidential election since 1984. He also spoke with U.S. News & World Report about the possible outcomes of the contempt vote against US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Pamela Nadell (Jewish Studies Program) spoke with U.S. News & World Report about the history of antisemitism on college campuses.

Quynh Vo (Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies) spoke with Vox about the history of Vietnamese representation in Hollywood.
April

Michael Alonzo (Environmental Science) appeared in a Science Friday live event to discuss his research into the cooling benefits of trees in urban areas. The event was broadcast on several public radio stations. 

Dan Arbell (Center for Israel Studies) spoke with The Telegraph about the potential impact of the United States halting arms supplies to Israel. 

Kim Blankenship (Sociology) received a supplemental grant of $23,920 (total awarded amount $176,760) from Yale University for the project "The effects of rental assistance on type 2 diabetes self-management and control."

Laura Cutler (Center for Israel Studies) received a $40,000 grant from the Israel Institute for the project "Teaching Expansion Agreement Between the Israel Institute, Inc. and American University for the 2024-2025 Academic Year." 

Silvina Guidoni (Physics) received a $9,000 grant from NASA for the project "Comprehensive Solar Eruption Models: Understanding Flare Arcades from the Global to Kinetic Scales.”

Sara Kaplan (ARPC) spoke with the Daily Yonder about the ARPC’s new toolkit, Pointing the Farm Bill Toward Racial Justice, and research into discrimination against farmers of color. Philanthropy News Digest republished the Q&A. 

Peter Kuznick (History) spoke with CGTN, Izvestia, TVC Russia, WION News, RT International, and RTVI about a variety of topics ranging from US foreign affairs to the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

Pam Nadell (Jewish Studies) spoke with the PBS series Exploring Hate about hate against Jews in the current day in the context of history.

Gautham Rao (History) co-authored a brief to the Supreme Court for consideration in the Trump v. U.S. case.

Evan Reister (Health Studies) spoke with WebMD about research showing connections between a healthy diet and the size of a snack consumed.

Kara Reynolds (Economics) was quoted in media outlets including Billboard, Washingtonian, Secret DC, NBC4 Washington, and DC News Now regarding Swiftonomics, the class debuting this fall that will analyze the economic impact created by Taylor Swift and Eras Tour.

Nathaniel Roth (Physics) received an $18,854 grant from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) for the project "Subsurface Thermal Photometry of NEAs: Characterizing the Regolith.”

Colin Saldanha (Neuroscience) spoke with NPR about flexibility and plasticity in the brains of songbirds. 

Thurka Sangaramoorthy (Anthropology) spoke with the Post and Courier about the dangerous working and living conditions of migrant workers.

Rachel Louise Snyder (Literature) spoke with the Associated Press about her 2019 book No Visible Bruises, and the movement sparked by Nicole Simpon’s murder. She also penned an opinion piece for the New York Times.

Students Tejasvi Hariharan, Shelton Fantroy, and Naila-Mareen Morris won the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health ASPPH pitch competition as part of the Healthy Eagles team addressing food insecurity and food waste on campus.

March

Valentina Aquila (Environmental Science) spoke with Mashable about volcanic eruptions.

Naomi Baron, Professor Emerita of Linguistics (World Languages & Cultures) was named a 2024 PROSE Award finalist for her book Who Wrote This? How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing (Stanford University Press, 2023). The PROSE competition, an initiative of the Association of American Publishers, recognizes excellence in professional and scholarly publishing.

Kim Blankenship (Sociology, CHRS) received a total funding of $1,744 from George Washington University, including supplemental funds of $872. The project is titled "Latino Scholars in HIV/AIDS Research Education (SHARE)."

Frederick Bruhweiler (Physics) received a $182,869 grant from NASA for the project "Continued Development of IR & Visible Spectrometer and Imaging Arrays for Ground-based & Space-borne Planetary Observations." He also received supplemental funding of $49,691.13 (new total: $775,702.74) from NASA for the project "Developing Technologies for Instruments to Study High-Energy Processes in the Solar Atmosphere.” He was also mentioned as a featured expert in a Space.com article on the sun. 

Ernesto Castañeda (Sociology, CLALS) spoke with The Boston Globe about the ways politicians frame issues related to immigration. 

Alice Coyne (Psychology) was named the 2024 recipient of the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy Early Career Award in recognition of “accomplishment and achievement related to psychotherapy theory, practice, research, or training.”

Philip Eigen (student, Mathematics and Statistics/Data Science) and Fiona Fawcett (student, Data Science/Finance) represented American University at the 2024 Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Competition, placing seventh out of 74 universities across the country. 

Francesa Emanuele (PhD student, Anthropology) published an article on Peru’s president in Jacobin

Douglas Fox (Chemistry) received two grants ($24,129 and $22,700) from Vireo Advisors, LLC., for the project "Nanocellulose Fluorescence Labeling Validation.”

Thomas Hauser (PhD alumnus, History) published a new book, Flying in the Shadows: Forging Aerial Intelligence for the United States Army (Government Publishing Office, 2023).

The Institute for Macroeconomic and Policy Analysis produced a report mentioned in a weekly POLITICO tax newsletter.

Philip Johnson (Physics) received a $133,619 grant from NASA for the project "Terahertz Heterodyne Spectrometer for In-Site Resource Utilization." He also received supplemental funding of $505,559.59 (new total: $865,182.40) from NASA for the project "Remote Sensing of Planetary Atmospheres in the Solar System and Beyond.”

Peter Kuznick (History) spoke with Progressive Magazine, WION News, CGTN Europe, Radio Sputnik, Republic TV (India), NTV Russian Television, Izvestia, Al-Sharq News, Axios, and Spectrum News about a variety of topics ranging from nuclear weapons history to ongoing conflicts in the world. 

Gabriel Mathy (Economics) spoke with USA Today about the impact that inflation will have on the Biden campaign.

Pamela S. Nadell (History) was the Jewish Studies Consultant for the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Lehman Trilogy. 

David Pike (Literature) published After the End (Manchester University Press, 2024), a book about prepping and post apocalyptic fictions since the Cold War.

Aaron Posner's (Theatre) adaptation Life Sucks at Interact Theater Company received seven nominations from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for Theatrical Excellence.

Michael Robinson (Mathematics and Statistics) received a $60,000 grant from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the project "Modeling and Analytic Capabilities for KBase." He also received a $32,000 grant from Galois for the project "Emergent Risks."

Nathaniel Roth (Physics) received a $14,514 grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSCI) for the project "An Empirical Calibration of the NIRSpec IFU Point Spread Function to Enable High Contrast."

Anastasia Snelling (Health Studies) received a $40,000 grant from DC Central Kitchen for the project "Healthy Corners Program Evaluation."

Jin Park (Philosophy and Religion) received a $12,000 grant from the Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies for the project "Rethinking Buddhism and Nonviolence."

February

Nicole Angotti (Sociology) received a $175,015 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project “Intergenerational Intervention: Employing Youth to Promote Aging Healthy with HIV in Rural South Africa.”

Dan Arbell (History, Center for Israel Studies) spoke with BBC News about Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel. 

Barbara Balestra (Environmental Science) received a $36,591 grant from Columbia University for the project “IODP Expedition 401 (Mediterranean Atlantic Gateway Exchange).”

Naomi Baron (World Languages and Cultures, professor emerita) wrote the article, “Letting AI Read For Us Can Undermine Our Thinking,” published on the Stanford University Press Blog.

Stephen Casey (Mathematics and Statistics) published a new book, Sampling, Approximation, and Signal Analysis (Birkhäuser, 2023).

Ernesto Castañeda (Center for Latin American and Latino Studies) spoke with Bloomberg about efforts to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Bob Connelly (Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies) served as the dramaturg and co-producer for the St. Mark’s Players' production of Rapture, Blister, Burn, which was co-directed by AU alumna Heather Danskin.

Leah Ding (Computer Science) received a $30,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Enhancing pIWP Retrieval through Multi-task Learning.”

Kathleen Holton (Health Studies) spoke with WebMD about the color palette of a new guide to healthy eating.

Robb Hunter (Theatre) received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography in a Play for King Lear at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Peter Kuznick (History) spoke with RTVI, The World Radio (Boston), Radio Sputnik, Izvestia newspaper, NTV, Zvezda, Japan’s Newspaper Asahi Shimbun, WION News, acTVism Munich, REN TV, and TVC about a variety of topics ranging from the upcoming United States presidential election to ongoing conflicts in the world.

Allan Lichtman (History) spoke with USA Today about the special counsel’s report on President Joe Biden and the lack of criminal charges filed.

Aaron Posner’s (Theatre) adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel My Name is Asher Lev is playing at the Théâtre des Béliers Parisiens in Paris as Je m’appelle Asher Lev, February-March.
 
Aaron Posner’s (Theatre) adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel The Chosen is playing in March at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Posner is also directing the show, a co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Jo Radner (Literature, professor. emerita) published a new book, Wit and Wisdom: The Forgotten Literary Life of New England Villages (University of Massachusetts Press, 2023).

Gautham Rao (History) became an inaugural council member of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Historians Council on the Constitution.

Thurka Sangaramoorthy (Anthropology) spoke with Associated Press about the growing Haitian community in the Eastern Shore.

Daniel Sayers (Anthropology) spoke with PBS about his research into Maroon communities.

Janos Szaz (Theatre) received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play for Angels in America at Arena Stage.

Noemí Enchautegui-de-Jesús (Psychology) was quoted in an Axios story about the Dominican Republic’s plan to pilot a four-day workweek.

Rachel Louise Snyder (Literature) published two pieces for the New York Times. "An America Where Guns Do the Talking" reviews two new books on gun culture and the Second Amendment, and the failure of public health officials to enact change despite reams of data about homicides, suicides, and mass shootings. In her recent opinion piece, "We Keep Domestic Violence Shelters Secret. Who Is That Really Helping?," she examines changes in the ways that society views domestic violence, including keeping domestic violence shelters hidden view. Going forward, Snyder will be a regular contributor as an Opinion writer.

Jonathan Tubman (Psychology) published two articles: “Multivariate Relations Between Lifetime Adversity and Substance Use Involvement: Comparisons Between Gay and Bisexual Emerging Adult Men” in the Journal of Bisexuality and “Factors Associated with Sexual Victimization Among Transgender Emerging Adults” in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

January

Dan Arbell (History) spoke with CGTN about the conflict in the Middle East. He also spoke with Channel News Asia.

Naomi Baron (World Languages and Cultures, professor emerita) spoke with Big Think about the benefits of physical books. She also spoke with PBS about the limitations of artificial intelligence.

Natasha Benitez (Health Studies) made multiple appearances on WJLA’s Good Morning Washington to discuss setting positive life goals and how to de-stress in the springtime

Raychelle Burks (Chemistry) published "Polymorphism of Bis(benzimidazole)bis(thiocyanato-N)cobalt(II) and Its Relevance to Studies of the Chief Color Test for Cocaine" in the journal, Inorganics. Burks also served as a technical advisor on a trio of episodes for the Hulu show Death and Other Details starring Violett Beane, Mandy Patinkin, and Lauren Patten.

Ernesto Castañeda (Sociology, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies) spoke with The Daily Beast about drug trafficking in South America.

Rebecca Graham (History) wrote an article for Time Magazine about the antisemitic symbolism and imagery in the movie Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Kathleen Holton (Health Studies) was quoted in an article about magnesium and its connection to alleviating anxiety in The Guardian. 

Philip Johnson (Physics) received a $77,178.75 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Spectroscopic Investigations of Processed Planetary and Astrophysical Ices with the Sublimation Laboratory Ice Millimeter/submillimeter Experiment.” 

Kelly Jones (Economics) published “Reducing maternal labor market detachment: A role for paid family leave in the journal Labour Economics.”

Pankaj Kumar (Physics) received a $60,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project “Understanding How Solar Filament Channels Form.”

Peter Kuznick (History) spoke with Izvestia, Channel One (Russia), RTVI, NTV, CGTN, and WION News about a variety of topics ranging from the US election to ongoing conflicts in the world.

Michelle Newton-Francis (Sociology) and former graduate student Jessica Chaikof (Sociology) published an article titled “Endometriosis on campus: How students manage their pain and academics” in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

Xuguang Sheng (Economics) was awarded a $10,000 IIF-SAS grant by the International Institute of Forecasters for the project proposal “A Novel Method for Eliciting Business Inflation Expectations.”

Janos Szasz (Theatre) directed Angels in America: Millennium Approaches at Arena Stage, which appeared on the Washington Post’s list of “The Best of Theatre in 2023.”

Allison Tepper (Health Studies) spoke with Forbes about the benefits of celery juice.

Amelia Tseng (World Languages and Cultures) published an article in The Conversation titled “Language induces an identity crisis for the children and grandchildren of Latino immigrants.” Tseng also appeared in an interview with Aileen Pradhan on Dear Asian Youth: “It Is Better if You Speak the Language: Raciolinguistics and Identity.” 

Ricardo Torres (Economics) spoke with NBC News about the Cuban government’s restrictions on the country’s emerging private sector. 

Tracy Weitz (Sociology) received a $6,018 grant from the Society of Family Planning for the project “What are the prices of abortions later in pregnancy.” Weitz also appeared on The A-Files podcast to discuss the reproductive justice movement in the United States.

Rhonda Zimlich (Literature) won Steel Toe Books’ 2023 Prose Prize for the manuscript of her novel Raising Panic (Steel Toe Books, 2024), to be published in fall 2024.

Guy Ziv (Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies) spoke with Politico about the impact of the Middle East conflict on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political clout.

 

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