Member News

2020




• Annalisa Scimemi

  Annalisa Scimemi, an associate professor in biological sciences and adjunct professor in physics, is leading a five year project to which the National Science Foundation has awarded $1.24 million to answer a fundamental question in neuroscience: How are different types of memories formed and stored at different times of the day, and how are they modified by different types of cells? Read More.

• Marlene Belfort

  Distinguished Professor Marlene Belfort receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the field of molecular genetics, and for the generous support and mentorship she has offered countless other women scientists, technicians, students and even high school pupils over the years. Watch acceptance speech. Read More.

• Melinda Larsen

  Supported by a $3.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health, Professor Melinda Larsen of Biological Sciences is leading a team of undergraduate and graduate students to research the causes and potential treatments for fibrosis.

2019




• Kristen Corbosiero

  Dr. Kristen Corbosiero was featured on the Sanctuary for Independent Media for the Women in STEM radio bucket. Listen here

• Marlene Belfort

  • Dr. Marlene Belfort was awarded the Citizen Laureate Award for Academics on October 30, 2019.

2018




• Wendy Turner

  • Assistant professor of Biological Sciences in the University at Albany’s College of Arts and Sciences Wendy Turner shares her work in analyzing anthrax transmission among African wildlife on aUAlbany News podcast. Turner was awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation for this project. Read More.

  • The snowy white salt flats of Namibia's Etosha National Park are so huge, they can be seen from outer space and the nearby savannas are covered with golden grass, ideal camouflage for tawny lions who live there alongside elephants, ostriches and zebras. Etosha and Kruger National Park in South Africa will soon be the classroom and lab for University at Albany assistant biological sciences professor Wendy Turner thanks to a $2.5 million National Science Foundation grant she won this month. Read More

• Jeanette Altarriba

  Dr. Altarriba received the President's Award for Exemplary Public Engagement for Living-Learning Communities.

  
  

  Dr. Altarriba received a Transfer Advocacy Certificate of Recognition for serving as a Transfer Student Advocate.




• Andrea Lang

  Dr. Lang received the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Early Career Leadership Academy Award.

  
  

  Dr. Lang was awarded the Judy L. Genshaft Initiatives for Women Award from the UAlbany Foundation.




2017




• Marlene Belfort

  • Dr. Belfort's student, David Bunn, was selected to receive the Outstanding Senior Award, a President’s Award for Leadership.
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    Science as tranquilizer and trailblazer

    In a world of “post-truth” where objective facts are de-valued, it would be understandable for scientists to despair. In this guest blog for Biomed Central, Marlene Belfort calls for the scientific community to be a resistance striving for truth and presents a message of hope, that despite roadblocks, science will triumph in the long run.

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    The On/Off Switch

    A recent University at Albany-led study has opened new possibilities for understanding how proteins, the workhorse molecules in cells, are regulated. Publishing in the journal Genes & Development, UAlbany researchers Christopher Lennon, Matthew Stanger and Marlene Belfort have found a new way for how protein function can be switched on or turned off.

• Kristen Corbosiero

  • Dr. Corbosiero, along with Prof. Brian Tang, was awarded a three-year NASA grant to study the interactions between tropical and midlatitude weather systems using data collected during recent NASA field campaigns into tropical cyclones.
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    Hurricane Expertise

    As Hurricane Irma leaves behind a trail of debris, historic flooding and power outages to millions across the state of Florida, the expertise of UAlbany’s Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES) has been featured on the national stage and across the globe.
    
    Live on MSNBC:
    On Friday night, DAES associate professor Kristen Corbosiero was interviewed live on MSNBC’s “All in with Chris Hayes” from the University’s on-campus studio in the Office of Communications and Marketing.

• Mindy Larsen

  • Dr. Larsen's MCDN Biology Ph.D. student, Kara DeSantis, was awarded best poster at the 2017 Gordon Research Conference: Salivary Glands and Exocrine Secretion.
    Dr. Larsen also became a member of the Journal of Dental Research Editorial Board.

• Jennifer Manganello

  • In November 2017, Dr. Manganello received the APHA Everett Rogers Award in recognition of her contributions to the field of public health communication.

• Rabi Musah

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    Chemist Uses Blow Fly Eggs as Forensics Tool

    Death investigators may soon be able to rely on tiny insect eggs to rapidly estimate a corpse’s time-of-death.
    
    Blow flies are typically the first carrion insects to arrive and lay their eggs on a dead body. For forensic entomologists, determining the arrival order and growth rate of different species of blow fly eggs found on a corpse can help establish the body’s time-of-death to within a few hours.

• Annalisa Scimemi

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    Study Finds a Novel Target Molecule to Help Prevent Brain Damage from Hemorrhagic Strokes

    With more than 130,000 victims nationwide, strokes are among the leading causes of death in the U.S. each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds, with a death every four minutes. But for those who survive, strokes can have a devastating impact, from loss of mobility or speech to severe brain damage.

  • Dr. Scimemi received an NSF grant from the IOS core program and organized Brain Bee and Brain Awareness Day for outreach events.
    Her PhD student has been accepted to the Neurobiology course in Woods Hole (MA). This was a very prestigious, 2-month course (06-07/2017), and only 14 students in the US were part of it.
    JP McCauley, a student of Dr. Scimemi's, has been selected to receive the Outstanding Senior Award, a President’s Award for Leadership.

• Joanna Workman received a FRAP-A award (https://www.albany.edu/osp/ualbany-research-funding.php) to study whether the peptide hormone prolactin can mitigate behavioral, endocrine, and hippocampal structural changes during chronic stress.

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2016



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  Marlene Belfort

  2016 - At the Intersection

  Great things can happen when scientists from different fields get together. And when they have been married to each other for 49 years, even better.

• Kristen Corbosiero

  • Dr. Corbosiero, along with her PhD student, Stephanie Stevenson, traveled to Cape Canaveral, FL to attend the launch of the country’s newest geostationary weather satellite, GOES-R (now in orbit as GOES-16). They are particularly interested in this satellite as it contains a lightning mapping instrument, which may help us better predict intensity changes in tropical cyclones. Read More

  Leading a group of faculty from the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences partnering with the National Weather Service, Kristen was awarded a three-year, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant to study high-impact weather in New York State. , which may help us better predict intensity changes in tropical cyclones. Read More

• Rabi Musah

  • Dr. Musah was the recipient of an award from the National Institute of Justice, entitled, “Development of Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometric and Multivariate Statistical Analysis Methods for Rapid High Throughput Analysis and Identification of Psychotropic Plant Species” (January 2016 – December 2018).
    Musah’s article on emission of foul organosulfur molecules by plant roots in response to touch is featured in the “Best of 2016” Plant Physiology papers, with the stunning altmetric score of 213 (highest for the year)! (http://blog.aspb.org/2016/12/13/best-of-2016-top-topics-in-plant-physiology-jounal/)
    Musah is featured in the critically acclaimed PBS science TV program NOVA in a segment on “Plastics (debuted on 11/16/16).” (accessed 12/7/16). (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/treasures-earth-power.html)
    This UAlbany press release shows a clip from the aforementioned NOVA program in which Musah discusses the ubiquity of “Plastics” in our society. (accessed 12/7/16).
    Times Union front page news article about Professor Musah’s $698,000.00 award from the National Institute of Justice to study mind-altering plants of forensic relevance. (accessed 7/16/16).(http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-local/article/UAlbany-researcher-building-psychoactive-plant-6734615.php)
    New Scientist article on Professor Musah’s work on odor emission in response to touch as a plant chemical defense strategy. (accessed 7/16/16).(https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22930554-800-farting-plants-have-a-built-in-stink-bomb-that-deters-predators/)
    Mental Floss News Magazine featuring Professor Musah’s finding that plant’s emit foul organosulfur compounds when their roots are disturbed. (accessed 7/16/16). (2.1 M likes on social media)! (http://mentalfloss.com/article/73346/plants-fart-face-danger)
    Mirror Newspaper (United Kingdom) on Professor Musah’s discovery of plants which emit bad odors in response to touch as a chemical defense strategy. (accessed 7/16/16).(http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/sensitive-plants-fart-warn-predators-7164038)
    Online News Magazine article featuring Professor Musah’s work on emission of foul odors by plants as part of a chemical defense strategy. (accessed 7/16/16).(http://www.realclearscience.com/2016/01/06/the_plants_that_039fart039_for_protection_268407.html)
    UAlbany News Center story on Professor Musah’s grant from the National Institute of Justice and her work on forensic identification of psychoactive plants. (accessed 7/16/16).(https://www.albany.edu/news/64431.php)
    News story that features research conducted with graduate students in collaboration with industrial partners at JEOL USA Inc. (accessed 7/16/16).(http://www.jeolusa.com/APPLICATIONS/REALab/SUNY-Albany)
    Video describing the impact of the CARSS program on student participants, presented from the point of view of the students. (accessed 7/16/16).(https://www.albany.edu/news/18677.php)
    Features statements from students in the Honors College who have been inspired by Professor Musah. (accessed 7/16/16).(https://www.albany.edu/honorscollege/Professors_Who_Inspire_Us.php#musah
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  • Annalisa Scimemi

    Annalisa Scimemi became an Editor of Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group).