Noteworthy: Research grants, awards and publications

A woman with short brown hair wearing a blue blouse, cream blazer and jeans is smiling at the camera while seated on a desk.
UAlbany’s Annalisa Scimemi recently coauthored “The Handbook of Electrophysiology: A Practical Guide for Neurophysiologists” and was awarded a $277,500 National Institutes of Health grant to purchase an advanced microscope. (Photo by Zach Durocher)

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 27, 2025) — The latest developments on University at Albany faculty and staff who are receiving research grants, awards and other noteworthy attention:

  • Department of Philosophy faculty have published four books this spring. Marcus Adams has published Hobbes's Two Sciences: Politics, Geometry, and the Structure of Philosophy (Oxford), Brad Armour-Garb (with James Woodbridge) has published The Deflationary Approach to Truth (Oxford), Nathan Powers (with Jacob Klein) has published The Oxford Handbook of Hellenistic Philosophy (Oxford) and Ariel Zylberman has published Dignity and Rights Elements in Philosophy of Law (Cambridge).
  • English Professor Thomas Bass has authored a new book, Return to Fukushima, out today. Published by OR Books, the book is based on his travels to the nuclear disaster site and chronicles the aftermath of the 2011 disaster and resilience of people navigating life amid radioactivity.
  • Kyra Gaunt, associate professor in the Department of Music & Theatre affiliated with Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology, shared her thoughts on a new Nike ad campaign featuring A'ja Wilson showcasing the WNBA star's signature shoe in an op-ed and appearance on MSNBC.
  • Biology PhD student Maurice Petroccione won UAlbany’s 2024-2025 Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award, which recognizes the most outstanding dissertation across all disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences. Petroccione’s dissertation, titled "The multifaceted role of glutamate at excitatory and inhibitory synapses," was nominated by his dissertation chair Annalisa Scimemi.
  • Annalisa Scimemi, associate professor of biological sciences, recently coauthored The Handbook of Electrophysiology: A Practical Guide for Neurophysiologists, published earlier this month by World Scientific Publishing. Designed to support neuroscientists from students to experienced researchers, the book delves into cutting-edge techniques for studying ion channels, synaptic function and neural circuits. Covered topics include patch-clamp methods, intracellular and extracellular recordings, optogenetics and robotic automation.
  • Scimemi was also recently awarded $277,500 from the National Institutes of Health to support the purchase of an Evident SLIDEVIEW VS200 research slide scanner. This advanced microscope will enable automated image acquisition using up to five different observation methods (brightfield, phase contrast, darkfield, polarization and fluorescence). To be housed at UAlbany, the instrument will be shared among multiple research institutions throughout the Capital Region and will support cutting edge science in the fields of cellular neuroscience, cell and stem cell biology, and microbial communities in human health, among other research areas.