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iSchool Hosts Upstate Data Summit PAGE 10
Syracuse Graduates Strengthen the Local Library Network PAGE 14
Alumni Photographers PAGE 30
Dear Alumni and Friends, Dean’s Message ELIZABETH D. LIDDY, DEAN AND TRUSTEE PROFESSOR
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ello to our iSchool family — alumni, students, parents, colleagues, and friends. As I write this message, I still have thoughts of our recent May Convocation in my head, where we awarded over 740 degrees and welcomed the newest members of our alumni community. At the ceremonies, I told our graduates and their guests what a promising time it is to be completing a degree in information. Each our students knows how central information and data are to all organizations, and for all people, in every aspect of their lives. But what’s terrific is that the rest of the world is catching up and recognizing that the centrality and the significance of our field is increasing dramatically every day. I reminded our graduates that this fast-growing recognition holds great opportunity, both to them now as they walk across stage, and later as they move into succeeding phases of their professional lives. The importance and centrality of information and data is not about to diminish! This was illustrated just a few weeks later as the iSchool helped to host the very first Upstate Data Summit – that’s our Information Management graduate Sam Edelstein ’07 G’16 on the cover, speaking at the event. This day provided a place for those involved in data and analytics
at the municipal government level from across Upstate New York to gather and share information with one another. Many New York cities, like Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, and Buffalo, are quickly realizing the power that comes with a robust data and analytics infrastructure, and I’ve been particularly pleased that the iSchool has been able to work closely with the City of Syracuse as it grows its data efforts. See page 10 for more about the Summit, and learn about our latest partnership with the City of Syracuse on page 21. Over the past several months, I’ve been able to talk with many of you about your involvement in our data-centric world, and I’ve enjoyed these conversations immensely. Knowing what you are doing in your work and in the industry allows me to ensure we are preparing our graduates to hit the ground running as they begin their careers. I hope to see more of you in the months ahead at the events we have events planned for alumni and friends — see the back cover for dates and details. I enjoy learning what our community members are doing, and thanking you for supporting our iSchoolWishing you well until our next Connections magazine!
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inside this issue F E AT U R E S
Syracuse Graduates Strengthen the Local Library Network
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iSchool and Effat University Renew Partnership
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SCHOOL NEWS
23 Connections is published twice a year by the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. http://ischool.syr.edu
Exploring Collaboration Possibilities
Editor: J.D. Ross rossjd@syr.edu
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Design and Production: Colleen Kiefer, Kiefer Creative Address correspondence to: Connections Syracuse University iSchool 343M Hinds Hall Syracuse, NY 13244 rossjd@syr.edu (315) 443-3094
facebook.com/su.ischool
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ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni News Editor: Julie Walas jlwalas@syr.edu
Connect with the iSchool on Social Media:
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Dean: Elizabeth D. Liddy G’77, G’88
Contributors: Barbara Brooks Renée K. Gadoua Kim Pietro J.D. Ross Julie Walas Sarah Weber Matt Wheeler
Around the iSchool Transitions Faculty Viewpoint: Staying Happy and Employed
From the Director 22 Class Notes 23 Upcoming Alumni Events 25 Alumni Profiles: Dan Marino ’97 and April Renae ’99 30 Reflections: The Miraculous iSchool 34 On the Importance of Staying Connected 36 O N T H E C OV E R Sam Edelstein ’07, G’16 speaks at the inaugural Upstate Data Summit, hosted in June by the iSchool. Read more about the summit and the iSchool’s continuing involvement in civic data projects on page 10 and page 21. Photo by J.D. Ross.
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twitter.com/ischoolsu ischool.syr.edu/linkedin instagram.com/ischoolsu youtube.com/syracuseischool
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Sawyer Appointed to Honors Program Core Faculty
Dean Liz Liddy s igns the agreement between the iSchool and the Madden School as Provost Michele Wheatly and Chancellor Kent Syverud look on.
iSCHOOL NEWS
iSchool, Le Moyne College Enter Into New Academic Partnership
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new academic partnership between the iSchool and Le Moyne’s Madden School of Business was recently announced that will enable students enrolled in master’s degree programs at both Le Moyne and Syracuse to take courses at their sister institution. Madden School students can study data science and information security management at Syracuse, while iSchool students can benefit from Le Moyne’s expertise in health information systems and enterprise systems. The new academic opportunities are open to iSchool students in the Information Management and Library and Information Science masters’ programs and students
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in the Madden School’s Information Systems master’s program. Students will receive certificates in one of four concentrations. “Syracuse University and Le Moyne College have a long history of building on our shared values and unique strengths for the benefit of our students,” said Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud. “This collaboration continues that legacy in ways that will enhance the academic experience for students pursuing studies in one of the fastest growing fields in academia and industry today.” For details about the new partnership, visit: ischool.syr.edu/partnership n
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rofessor Steven Sawyer has been appointed as a core faculty member of Syracuse University’s Renée Crown Honors Program. His term will run through the spring semester of 2020. Honors Core faculty members help to shape Honors Program curriculum and policy, and assist with the program’s strategic planning. Their academic vision and scholarly rigor guide the program in matters crucial both to the larger Honors faculty and to Honors students. As a part of his role, Sawyer will teach an honors course that dovetails with his research on the gig economy. His course, “Working in the Digital Economy, or, My Boss is a Bot and All My Coworkers Are, Too,” provides students with a way of understanding and analyzing the changes in what it means to work, and to be a worker, by exploring centrality of work and working relative to how society is organized. “There are forces reshaping the working world, including an increased reliance on information-centered work, a concomitant increase in the uses of digitally-centered systems, a changing relationship among workers and employers,” explained Sawyer. “This is coupled with changing demographics and increasingly global labor markets – including the rise of software bots and robotics and new expectations of workplaces, like mobility, coworking, commuting, travel, hoteling, virtual collaboration, and other mediated working arrangements. This course will examine these forces and then I’ll steer course topics to reflect student interests.” n
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New Professional Fraternity Focuses on IT Discipline SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST professional co-ed fraternity focused on the information technology discipline formed this past semester at the iSchool. The fraternity, Kappa Theta Pi, is the fourth chapter on a college campus in the United States. The organization was founded at the University of Michigan’s Information School in 2012, and has chapters at the University of Pittsburgh and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. “We felt that there should be a professional fraternity at Syracuse that met the needs of students in the IT field,” said Maeve Rule, a sophomore information management and technology student who is the Syracuse chapter’s first president. “The iSchool was the only professional school on campus without a professional fraternity up to this point, so we thought it would be a good fit.” Membership in the organization is open to any Syracuse University student with an interest in technology. “Kappa Theta Pi is designed to be a support system, service model, and professional development enhancer all at the same time,” said Sophie Estep, a sophomore dual major in the iSchool and the Newhouse School and the fraternity’s director of professional development. “We want members to find a place to not only meet others who have their shared interests, but also give back to their community and refine their own skills.”
“We have had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to this new organization,” Estep added. “With the increasing popularity of iSchool majors and minors on our campus, this was a much anticipated program, and we cannot wait to get the group up and running. I am so excited to grow this organization to its full potential.” The fraternity’s advisors are Professor Jeff Rubin and Stephanie Worden, the iSchool’s undergraduate recruiter.
“Kappa Theta Pi is designed to be a support system, service model, and professional development enhancer all at the same time. We want members to find a place to not only meet others who have their shared interests, but also give back to their community and refine their own skills.” —SOPHIE ESTEP
“I am so proud of our students for coming up with an initiative and seeing it through,” said Rubin. “I believe having a professional iSchool fraternity is going to be huge for our students, as it provides a place for them to engage, socialize, push each other professionally, and celebrate each other’s success.” n The inaugural members of the Kappa Theta Pi professional fraternity at the iSchool
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iSCHOOL NEWS
U.S. News Ranks iSchool #13 for Online Graduate Programs
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he iSchool was been ranked No. 13 for best online degree programs for graduate computer information technology by U.S. News and World Report for 2018. iSchool master’s degree programs in Applied Data Science, Information Management, and Library and Information Science can be completed either on-campus or online. “We are pleased to receive this recognition for our online graduate programs from U.S. News,” said Susan Corieri, assistant dean for enrollment management at the iSchool. “We believe our programs are strong, and we have been a leader in the field of online learning for 25 years. We continue to grow and adapt our programs and curricula to best fit the changing needs of today’s digital learners.” “The iSchool’s online programs attract working professionals who are looking for the flexibility and access to faculty expertise we provide,” noted Victoria Williams, the iSchool’s director of online education. “Our online programs also allow us to draw from a pool of high-quality distance faculty members and instructors.” Online program offerings at the iSchool have the same curriculum and faculty as their respective on-campus programs. Faculty are trained in online pedagogy and have direct contact with students enrolled in online courses. With limited immersion requirements, students are able to learn virtually anytime, anywhere, earning their graduate degrees with flexible study schedules. This allows the iSchool to attract some of the best professionals in their related fields and the online classroom becomes an environment that enhances engagement and expands professional networks. n
Winning team members, from left to right: Anil Kumar Agrawal, Dheeraj Vijayaraghavan Menon, Michael DiFalco, Priyank Thavai, and Sirisha Prakash.
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Syracuse Team Wins 2018 Cyber Analyst Challenge
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team of Syracuse University students was awarded first place and $20,000 in the National Cyber Analyst Challenge (NCAC) at Temple University in Philadelphia in April. The team was comprised of information management graduate students Anil Agrawal, Michael DiFalco, and Dheeraj Menon from the iSchool, and cybersecurity graduate students Priyank Thavai and Sirisha Prakash from the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). The students are also members of the iSchool’s Information Security Club or ECS’s Orange Hackers Association. They cite the crossdisciplinary nature of their team as a key advantage in their victory. “Our academic programs prepared us well for this challenge,” said Prakash. “Many of the attacks we uncovered in the competition were ones that we were familiar with from our coursework.” At NCAC, students are given six hours and a large set of network traffic data to identify the origins of a cyberattack and its potential damage, and then make a seven-minute presentation of their findings and recommendations to a panel of C-suite-level judges from industry. This was the final phase of the challenge. The team had previously advanced through an initial phase in which they won $10,000. “You have to think like an attacker,” explained Thavai. “If you know what you are looking for the data can reveal suspicious activity. It’s our job to link it and weed out red herrings.” “I am proud of our group for this tremendous accomplishment,” said the team’s co-advisor, iSchool adjunct faculty member Bahram Attaie. “The team leveraged their individual strengths with different cybersecurity toolsets, applied that knowledge to the large data set they were given, and came together to present their work in front of the judges, earning the top slot at the competition.” n
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According to Tech Life Ireland, there are currently 80,000 people working in tech nationwide, and a further 8,000 IT jobs in Ireland are forecast to open each year.
iSCHOOL NEWS
Startup Dublin is iSchool’s Newest Experiential Learning Program THE ISCHOOL HAS LAUNCHED Startup Dulbin, a sister program to the iSchool’s well-known Spring Break in Silicon Valley, EntreTech NYC, and Peak 2 Peak immersion programs. Startup Dublin will give students access to connect with technology companies, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists in Ireland. They will get to meet a unique network of people and hear about their way of life (both personal and professional). Participating students will also connect with Syracuse University alumni living and working in Dublin. The week-long Dublin program will take place over the November Thanksgiving Break each year. For the inaugural Startup Dublin trip, students will be traveling Friday, November 16, 2018 through Sunday, November 25, 2018.
According to Tech Life Ireland, there are currently 80,000 people working in tech nationwide, and a further 8,000 IT jobs in Ireland are forecast to open each year. Potential site visits include Google, Amazon, Paypal, EA, and Dropbox “This is a week-long travel program where students study technology and interact with innovative firms and alumni to understand how their best practices may be applied elsewhere,” explained Julie Walas, director of student and alumni engagement at the iSchool. “Our Startup Dublin cohort will travel to an innovative ecosystem and spend 7 days meeting with information-based organization, and their daily visits will provide them with a well-rounded vision of the innovative ecosystem and its cultural context.” n
If You’re in Dublin . . . We want to hear from you! Host a student visit or come to our alumni gathering. Contact Julie Walas at jlwalas@syr.edu for details.
iSCHOOL NEWS
Clarke Presented with ALISE Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Award
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ssistant Professor Rachel Ivy Clarke was presented with the Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Award by Asso ciation for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) President Dietmar Wolfram at the ALISE annual conference in Denver in February. Clarke’s dissertation explored how reconceptualizing librarianship as a design discipline offers opportunities for empowering and supporting the continued relevance of libraries in the 21st century. A change in how librarianship is perceived could have implications for how librarians are taught, how their job roles are defined and how research in the field of librarianship is conducted.
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“. . . the common thread for me is helping students find that spark of inspiration, connection, or direction. . . . it’s being a tiny piece of how these students evolve during their time here, and take the opportunities that Syracuse provides – it’s all a motivation for me.”
Julie Walas is joined on stage by Otto as she is presented with the 2018 Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence.
iSCHOOL NEWS
Kaarst-Brown and Walas Recognized at ‘One University’ Awards Ceremony
—JULIE WALAS
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Huang and Wu Take Best Paper Award at 2018 iConference
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research paper authored by iSchool faculty member Yun Huang (left) and doctoral student Qunfang Wu (right) took top honors among academic awards presented at the annual iCon ference, held in Sheffield, U.K. in March. They were awarded the Lee Dirks Best Paper Award, considered the highest honor at the conference, for their paper Understanding Interactions Between Municipal Police Departments and the Public on Twitter.
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ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR M ichelle Kaarst-Brown and Director of Student and Alumni Engagement Julie Walas were recognized by Chancellor Kent Syverud at the annual ‘One University’ Awards Ceremony in April. Kaarst-Brown was named a 2018-2021 Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence. This award encourages faculty members to look upon the many dimensions of teaching as opportunities for constant improvement, highlights the great importance the University places upon teaching by investing in student-centered activities, and encourages innovation in the teaching and learning processes on campus. Faculty selected for Meredith Professorships receive a supplemental salary award and additional funding for professional development for three years to focus on a unique project Kaarst-Brown’s project will expand on her 14-plus years of teaching Enterprise Risk Management classes at Syracuse, seeking to engage students in increasing community resiliency in the face of natural disasters and other crises.
“It was an honor to be nominated, and I was thrilled when I found out that I had been selected,” said KaarstBrown. “I’ve been trying to make a difference here through the courses that I teach and the administrative roles that I’ve held, and I’ve always wanted to do more. This will provide me with that opportunity.”
“It was an honor to be nominated, and I was thrilled when I found out that I had been selected. I’ve been trying to make a difference here through the courses that I teach and the administrative roles that I’ve held, and I’ve always wanted to do more. This will provide me with that opportunity.” —MICHELLE KAARST-BROWN
Walas was recognized with the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in the category of Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives.
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Chancellor Kent Syverud presents Michelle KaarstBrown with a certificate recognizing her appointment as a Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence.
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Acuna and Team Create Tool to Detect Academic Fraud in Research Papers
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or academic jourcurrently requires nal editors and considerable effort, research integrity offiisn’t widely undertaken cers at post-secondary and is prone to errors.” institutions, detecting Acuna and his the re-use of images colleagues have and illustrations in acafound that editors and demic papers can be a research officers identiDaniel Acuna time-consuming, if not fied image reuse as a impossible, task. While problem, but one for resources for detecting which they lacked an similarities and plagiarism in text easy solution. “They have cases submissions have been in use sitting on their desks, but it’s hard for several years, up until now to check for this manually, as there has been no technological they’d need to take each of the solution that could be applied to figures and then analyze them finding duplicate images across by hand,” Acuna says. research literature. That may soon change, “This research shows that it is feasible to use machine thanks to work done by iSchool learning to conduct advanced analysis of science with big Assistant Professor Daniel Acuna. In a paper posted on the data. If editors and research integrity officers were to adopt bioRxiv preprint server and this method, it would make it easier for them to screen and reported in Nature, Acuna and evaluate images in scientific papers before publication. . . ” his research team, Paul Brookes at the University of Rochester and — DANIEL ACUNA, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Konrad Kording at the University of Pennsylvania, outline how they used an algorithm to successfully “With the algorithm, it goes search through nearly 800,000 through all the data and finds the biomedical papers and 2 million duplicated figures, even if they’re images, scanning for and detectrotated or skewed in some way.” ing duplicate imagery. With the way that the new “This research shows that tool can rapidly detect image it is feasible to use machine reuse at scale, Acuna believes learning to conduct advanced that it soon will be able to ensure analysis of science with big data,” scientific integrity across a broad Acuna explains. “If editors and range of disciplines. research integrity officers were “I think that a great deal of to adopt this method, it would scientific fraud will be, sooner or make it easier for them to screen later, detectable by automatic and evaluate images in scientific methods,” Acuna says. n papers before publication—something that J.D. ROSS
She has served as the iSchool’s director for student and alumni engagement since June, 2016. Prior to that, she worked for the iSchool in various student-facing positions for nearly 10 years, including time as director of undergraduate recruitment, undergraduate programs manager, and director of student advising. Walas also serves as the coach for Syracuse University’s Otto the Orange mascot program. As coach, Walas selects, trains, and mentors the student athletes each semester as they represent Syracuse as Otto. Although Walas has had many responsibilities on campus, the overarching theme of connecting students has run throughout them. “I think that the common thread for me is helping students find that spark of inspiration, connection, or direction,” explained Walas. “Whether it’s helping our seniors inspire their peers to build a long-lasting community, or working with the Ottos to help them learn how to spread Orange spirit to thousands of fans, it’s being a tiny piece of how these students evolve during their time here, and take the opportunities that Syracuse provides – it’s all a motivation for me.” n
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iSchool Welcomes Kim Rose G’99 to Board of Advisors J.D. ROSS
Retirements
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his summer, three long-time iSchoolers will be retiring – and they’re all named Barbara! From left, Barbara Settel, executive director of alumni relations; Barbara Stripling, senior associate dean and associate professor of practice; and Barbara Kwasnik, professor. Our three Barbaras have a combined 70+ years of service to the iSchool.
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he iSchool is pleased to welcome Kim Rose G’99 to the Board of Advisors. Rose serves as Chief Information Officer for Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, and its affiliated entities, including Crouse Medical Practice, PLLC, and Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, NY. At Crouse, Rose works with senior leadership to provide vision and strategic direction in the continued development and implementation of the hospital’s system-wide health information technology operations, as well as developing capability to enhance information sharing between Crouse and physicians in the community. The iSchool’s Board is a collective resource of alumni, senior business people, professionals, industry leaders, and other supporters organized to assist in the development of the School and to help shape and realize its vision. For more information about the Board of Advisors, contact Kim Pietro, Assistant Dean for Advancement, at kpietro@ syr.edu. n
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ver 100 people turned out to honor and remember Professor Emerita Antje Bultmann Lemke at a celebration of her life in May. Lemke passed away in 2017 at the age of 98. She had served at Syracuse University as a librarian and faculty member from 1952 to 1986 and touched the lives of over 15,000 students in her time here.
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SITY ARCHIVES
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Family, Friends, Colleagues Remember Professor Emerita Antje Bultmann Lemke
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Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Teaching at Convocation
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t the iSchool’s Convocation ceremonies in May, three faculty members were honored by the graduating class for their teaching contributions. The Jeffrey Katzer Professor of the Year Award was established by former faculty member and interim dean Jeffrey Katzer in 1995. He believed that it was important for faculty to be recognized for superior teaching. Every year, the graduating graduate and undergraduate classes select full- and part-time faculty members to be honored at Convocation. These honors are based on students’ evaluation of excellence in teaching, engagement, and scholarship.
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Frank Marullo, part-time faculty member, was honored at the Graduate Convocation. J.D. ROSS
ave you subscribed to the iSchool’s YouTube channel? Check it out for videos exploring all facets of iSchool life, including our monthly webinars and student features. youtube.com/SyracuseiSchool
J.D. ROSS
Assistant Professor Bryan Semaan delivers his address after being recognized by the undergraduate class of 2018.
Kavya Krishna G’18 i ntroduces Associate Professor of Practice Art Thomas as the winner of the Jeffrey Katzer Professor of the Year Award at the Graduate Convocation.
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iSchool Hosts Upstate Data Summit
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ver 70 people attended the first Upstate Data Summit held in June at Syracuse University and sponsored by the iSchool, the City of Syracuse, and the Center for Technology in Government at SUNY Albany.
City of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh delivers the keynote address at the Upstate Data Summit.
Kate May, Chief Performance Officer for the City of Rochester, outlined a data strategy she is pursuing for the city, and addressed some of the challenges in gathering and sharing data between municipalities.
The one-day event brought municipal government officials, nonprofits, and vendors from across Upstate New York to showcase innovative uses of government data and technology. “Everyone who attended this summit strives to improve cities,” said Sam Edelstein ’07, G’16, an iSchool master’s program alumnus and Chief Data Officer for the City of Syracuse. “While each attendee comes from a place that is a little different, we could all learn about what has worked elsewhere. By sharing stories and data that helped inform the decisions that were made, we can hope to improve the lives of those that live throughout Upstate New York.” Outlining numerous efforts in the City of Syracuse, Edelstein explained how the city’s Innovation Team has gathered and shared data to address municipal infrastructure issues such as potholes, water main
breaks, and snow removal. (See page 21 to learn about February’s Snow Data Hackathon) City of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh praised Edelstein and the city’s Innovation Team, crediting them for beginning the process of moving the city towards data-driven decision making. “With the right team, which we have, and leveraging data and technology, our best days are ahead of us,” said Walsh. “Across Upstate New York. we have all the ingredients we need to be a great community, and at the core of our efforts is making datadriven decisions.” In addition to Syracuse, Upstate cities with representatives speaking and sharing information included Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, and Schenectady.
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Meet Our InfoSpace Student Editors OUR STUDENT EDITORIAL TEAM o f Morgan Lyons ’19 (left) and Jessica Zuk ’20 manage the iSchool’s blog, InfoSpace. They assist in recruiting and managing student writers, generating topic ideas, and shooting and editing photos to help create two to five interesting and thought-provoking blog posts each week during the semester. Did you know that InfoSpace is also open to alumni guest bloggers? If you have an idea on a post you’d like to explore, send an e-mail to rossjd@syr.edu. Read the blog: ischool.syr.edu/infospace n
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Current members of the Nanhi Kali student organization with faculty advisor Art Thomas and Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud at the Orange Circle Awards reception.
STUDENT NEWS
Nanhi Kali Student Organization Recognized with Orange Circle Award
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yracuse University’s Forever Orange Week culminated at the end of March with the Orange Circle Awards, an event that honored altruistic members of the Syracuse University community who have done extraordinary things in the service of others. Among the 2018 winners was the Nanhi Kali student organization at the iSchool. The Orange Circle Award recognizes Syracuse individuals—including students, faculty, staff, and alumni—who go above and beyond in their daily lives and who possess a deep responsibility for extraordinary acts that better society. A project of the Mahindra Foundation of India, Nanhi Kali supports education for underprivileged girls. The Hindi name, Nanhi Kali, means “little flower bud.” A group of passionate students from the iSchool runs Nanhi Kali’s Syracuse University chapter, recognizing that the education of women and girls is beneficial to all societies worldwide. “The organization sends them to school, they provide supplies, so that the student feels like they’re a part of the school and
that they can hold their heads up high as they attend the classes,” said Art Thomas, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the iSchool, and the faculty advisor for the Nanhi Kali student chapter at Syracuse. “About 7.8 million girls in India don’t get to go to school and are married off before the age of 10,” explains Sushma Bhat G’18, president of Nanhi Kali and a student in the iSchool’s Information Management master’s program. “It’s typically believed that they should marry, raise kids, and take care of their household.” The opportunity of an education can change an Indian girl’s entire life outlook. “We have fought battles against honor killings, child marriage, and female infanticide,” said Shashank Nadig G’18 an Information Management graduate student and the organization’s marketing director. “I feel like the final piece of the puzzle of totally empowering women is education.” On campus, the organization holds events and fundraisers events like “Diwali Night” and the “’Cuse Cup,” throughout the year to gener-
ate awareness of their mission and bring in donations to support the girls in India. “People are amazed to know that a contribution of a mere $50 could help educate a girl child in India for the whole school year,” said Romil Shroff G’18, Information Management graduate student and volunteer engagement director for Nanhi Kali. “So far, we have raised enough money to send 200 to 250 girls to school since 2010,” remarked Bhat. “When you receive the names of these girls, and look at their pictures, it just makes you so happy. Educating 1 girl, or 50 girls, might not seem like a very big thing, because there are millions of uneducated girls – but it’s one step at a time, and hopefully we can get to a point where everybody in this world is educated.” n
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viEWPOint Staying Happy and Employed J.D. ROSS
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MARK POLLITT, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
I
’ve been an Adjunct here at the iSchool for almost 15 years, but if you haven’t taken one of my Applied Information Security (IST 522/704) or Digital Forensics (IST 602) classes, you probably have never met me. I like to tell my students, and others, that I am the luckiest person in the world. I normally get a quizzical look or response to that, until I explain. When we are children, we all have dreams. Most of us dream of becoming something: a doctor, lawyer, teacher, parent, or anything that captures our imagination. Most of us are lucky to experience one of those dreams. I have gotten to live virtually all of my dreams! I wanted to be a Marine, a pilot, an FBI Special Agent, a naturalist, a scientist, and among other things, a professor. I have been working for almost 50 years. I am a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, fixed and rotary-wing pilot, U.S. Coast Guard officer, FBI Special Agent, Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief. I was on the ground floor of the FBI’s cyber crime and digital forensics programs. After I retired in 2003, I became a security and forensics consultant and part-time professor. From 2006 until 2014 I was a full-time professor at the University of Central Florida and Daytona State College. When I’m not working, I volunteer as an Interpretive Specialist at the Orlando Wetlands Park and am an avid photographer. Reading this, it looks like I can’t keep a job! But, I can say that in all those years, I have never been un-employed. And that’s what I’d like to explore here. When I first started teaching, I thought that the most important thing that I brought to the classroom was knowledge; knowledge about technology, knowledge about government and industry, and knowledge about how technology THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
is used and abused. And while I did bring those things to class, as I shared cases and case studies in class, the questions that I found that students really wanted answers to, were not about the material. I found that they wanted to know how the world worked. The messy, un-varnished reality that they weren’t finding in the literature or in many classrooms. Because I had such a long and diverse work history, from peon to executive, I was able to share personal experiences with my classes. I came to realize that there were lots of people who could teach technology, but not many that had the range of experiences that I had. One of the truly unique aspects of the iSchool is that we have quite a few folks who, like me, have a wide range of work experiences. It is this part of the job that I most enjoy. For the benefit of those who haven’t taken my classes, I’d like to share a few of my observations on staying happily employed for almost 50 years. To bosses, there are only three kinds of employees. There is the “dead wood” that requires constant monitoring, motivating, and your precious time. A manager’s goal is to eliminate, or at least minimize, the number of these employees — they are a drain on the organization. If you are one of these people, you need to quit and find something that you are both good at and enjoy. Otherwise you will die young and bitter. The second group are usually most of your employees. They are competent and comfortable in their jobs. They take direction, if not responsibility, and will do what you ask of them. They rarely seek additional work, challenge themselves or their peers. Their goal is to have a comfortable life. Managers know these folks put the bread on the organizational table, so they take care of them. But they don’t lavish any additional resources or support for
these folks, since it has a limited return on investment. While I appreciate what these people do, and their consistency, I cannot imagine myself as this kind of employee. To me, this would be a life of “quiet desperation.” Managers try to provide the most support and attention to the third group of employees. These are the folks that come to you and tell you how they could do “X” and “Y.” You collaborate with these folks, determine a strategic or tactical direction and let them go. You rarely have to supervise; and never have to motivate. Often, the only time you see them, is when they truly need support, or you seek them out. These are the most successful people in any organization and are the ones who make an organization competitive. As a manager, you can never have enough of these folks. If you’re anything like me, this is where you want to be, these are the people I want to be around, and I want to work for a boss that understands this dynamic. So, how do you get there? For starters, you don’t start there. Even if you work for a great company, that spends lots of time trying to find a “good fit” for you and the company, they are, in the end, just filling a position. If you’re lucky, it will be a situation where you can make it your job. If not, it is a place to learn what you can before you seek another situation. But in either case, it is your employment for the moment. And regardless of the “fit,” I suggest that you do three things: do your job well, learn everything you can, and find something that needs doing. When you interviewed for the job, you put your best foot forward. When you accepted the job, you agreed to give your employer your best. So, give it your best. The adage that “you get out of life what you put in”, isn’t true. You get a lot more out, when you put your best in. This will
AROUND THE
take you out of the first group of employees and put you with the second group. Every job, no matter how dirty, menial, repetitive, or boring can teach us something. All our bosses, coworkers, and subordinates have things they know that we don’t. Learn everything you can from them. Don’t just do, understand. One way to look at it is that you are getting paid (however poorly) to learn. Make the most of it. This is how you become competent at a job. Every workplace has things that need doing, but nobody does them. It is sometimes because of a lack of resources, and
other times because people don’t recognize the need. You are a new resource and a new set of eyes. My father used to tell me that when he would get to a new job, he would look to see what needed doing. If he didn’t need to ask permission to do it, he just did it. If he did need to ask the boss, he’d say: “Do you mind if, after I finish my work, that I do…?” Bosses rarely turn down help, so the answer was usually yes. If nothing else, the boss now knows that you’re willing to work longer and harder than necessary. And when they need something new done, they often will ask themselves “Who can I give this to that will
ischool
do a good job?” If it is you they think of, then you have moved into the third group. And as far as I can tell, that’s the best way to stay employed. With technologies and economies constantly changing, nobody can predict what knowledge, skills, and abilities will be needed in tomorrow’s workplace. Few of the jobs I have had in the past 20 years existed a year before I took the job. This trend is likely to continue. We can’t learn our way to the future. We will have to work things out as we go. In my opinion, being in that third group is the key to success in any profession. n
In addition to his teaching and consulting work, Mark Pollitt is an accomplished travel, wildlife, and aviation photographer. More of his work can be viewed at markpollittphoto.com.
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SYRACUSE GRADUATES STRENGTHEN THE LOC AL LIBRARY J.D. ROSS
T rudi Antoine G’16 (left) and Dragana Drobnjak CAS ’16 in the Onondaga County Central Library’s MakerSpace in downtown Syracuse.
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BY RENÉE K. GADOUA
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rudi Antoine G’16 and Dragana Drobnjak CAS ’16 connected in a museum studies class, where Drobnjak gave a class presentation on the role of zines in giving voice to people outside the mainstream. They bonded quickly over shared interests in the arts, cultural heritage and libraries. Now the two iSchool alumnae work together at the Onondaga County Central Library’s MakerSpace in downtown Syracuse. Drobnjak oversees the MakerSpace, where Antoine works as an instructional specialist. They came on board in late 2016 and early 2017, soon after the library opened the space as part THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
of an $8.7 million renovation. The ground-floor facility offers hands-on training and creation opportunities; patrons ages 12 and up can use 3D printers, video and audio equipment, sewing machines, and arts and crafts material. The MakerSpace serves about 600 people a month. “We coach and mentor,” Drobnjak said. “Our job is keeping the standards of programming high and making sure people are exposed to technology,” Antoine added. “This place is perfect for people who are creative and selfdirected but might not have access to materials.”
The two colleagues and friends illustrate the deep connections among iSchool graduates of the Master of Library and Information Science (MSLIS) program working in Central New York’s libraries and related facilities. Their technology-based, community-focused jobs also typify the constantly evolving nature of library jobs. Since 1970, roughly 800 Syracuse library science graduates have remained in the Central and Western New York region.
“Our job is keeping the standards of programming high and making sure people are exposed to technology. This place is perfect for people who are creative and self-directed but might not have access to materials.” —TRUDI ANTOINE G’16
“You can almost throw a stone and you’ll hit an iSchool grad,” said Jill Hurst-Wahl, associate professor of practice and director of the iSchool’s MSLIS program from 2012 to 2017. “The backgrounds of our students and alumni are really varied,” Hurst-Wahl said. They share “a recognition of the power of information and the need to have a place where people can connect with information. The iSchool’s master’s in library science, one of seven in New York
NETWORK
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nternships at Syracuse’s Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive and Onondaga Community College’s Coulter Library led Ryan Perry G’15 to his job as digital collections librarian at the Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC.) He works with Marc Wildman G’99, who serves as executive director of the CLRC, a consortium of libraries and library systems across Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, and Onondaga counties. At the Belfer archive, Perry processed materials and collected metadata for digitized files. He developed a process to photograph cylinder recordings, produced from 1877 to 1929. He also catalogued materials from the Savada collection, a donation of 200,000 items from a New York City store that sold 78 rpm phonograph records. At the Coulter Library, he digi-
tized Library of Congress LPs for Onondaga Community College. At CLRC, he helps member libraries connect with the New York Heritage Digital Collections, assessing libraries’ historical holdings and helping to digitize materials such as maps, letters, diaries, photographs and books for the research portal. “I feel like I’m able to do important work providing access to historic materials,” Perry said. “The work is for a noble cause. There’s the poten-tial for these things to be used in different ways. I make it easier for folks to share materials.” He shifted his career focus from academia after researching his master’s thesis in history on the ethnomusi cologist Alan Lomax (1915-2002) at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress sparked an interest
arc Wildman G’99 M (left) and Ryan Perry G’15 at the Central New York Library Resources Council headquarters in Dewitt.
J.D. ROSS
state, impacts the region through class projects and internships and serving as a pipeline for student jobs and potential employees in the region as alumni. “It’s constantly giving the regional libraries access to the new things that are being taught and discussed in library science,” Hurst-Wahl said. “It gives some libraries people with a different point of view or skill set they might not have access to.” Recent graduates may also provide libraries “a different energy level,” she said. “People who really care about their communities often want to get involved and want to use their skills.” That’s the way Antoine and Drobnjak see their roles at the Maker Space. “The space is cool because it’s experimental,” Antoine said. They present programs to teach how to use the equipment, but they also create programs based on patrons’ suggestions. Some patrons volunteer to lead programs, including sessions on knitting, financial management, and Photoshop. For Antoine, who came to the iSchool with a bachelor’s in art theory and practice and a master’s in museum studies, the MakerSpace offers “my dream job, working with all this technology and people. The difficult but fun part of this job is you’re constantly learning.” When they don’t know how to fix a temperamental machine or need guidance in writing code for video games they do what librarians do: “You get on Google and troubleshoot,” said Drobnjak, who earned an MLS from Rutgers University and worked as a children’s librarian before seeking a certificate of advanced studies in cultural heritage from the iSchool.
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STEVE SARTORI
in archives. “I like working with primary sources,” he said. After graduate school, Perry returned to Homer – about 40 miles south of Syracuse – where he and his wife grew up. His job combines interests in cultural history and technology and his background as a historian and working as a live sound engineer, working arena shows and lectures. “I’m constantly bumping into other alumni in the region,” he said. “There’s definitely a shared experience. It’s cool to see people stick around here.”
He doesn’t have to go far to chat with an iSchool alum. Wildman, a native of Massachusetts who moved to Syracuse when he was 12, took over as CLRC executive director in September 2017. He previously served as assistant director at Dewitt Community Library, where he helped plan the library’s new building and organized its move to a new site – which took place just days before he started at CLRC. He also worked as director of libraries at Cayuga Community College, as acquisitions and bibliographic services librarian at SUNY Cortland and serials cataloging supervisor at Syracuse University’s Bird Library. At CLRC, Wildman coordinates continuing education and resource sharing for about 375 member libraries. “We’re here to make sure we can forecast what we have to do to keep libraries on the cutting edge,” he said. He also advocates for state funding for libraries and for digital inclusion and net neutrality.
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THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
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aggie Foster G’13 moved to Syracuse in 2010 looking for a new start in the city her sister called home and soon found herself pursuing her longtime dream of library school. While working on her degree online, she worked at the Special Collections Research Center at Bird Library, the Health Sciences Library at Upstate Medical University, Golisano Children’s Hospital Family Resource Center, and at the DeWitt Community Library. She worked at two city branches of the Onondaga County Public Library system and started in April as community engagement coordinator at the Liverpool Public Library. J.D. ROSS
“A lot of what we do is exciting, and some of it is scary, like net neutrality and fake news. . . . It’s hugely interesting times. It’s exciting to see what libraries are going to do next.” — MARC WILDMAN G’99
“A lot of what we do is exciting, and some of it is scary, like net neutrality and fake news,” he said, noting huge changes in the field in the 18 years since he earned his MLS. “Databases and electronic books were just starting then,” he said. “It’s still changing every day. It’s hugely interesting times. It’s exciting to see what libraries are going to do next.” Through his role at CLRC and numerous jobs in the region, Wildman often connects with iSchool grads. The informal network, in fact, helped him land his current job. “I’m either running into someone I went to school with or worked with,” he said. “We all know each other.”
aggie Foster G’13 speaks with iSchool students during the Day of FiTS student conference on campus in M February.
What do you wish people knew about libraries or librarians? P rofessor Jill Hurst-Wahl, at left, listens as students present their course projects in IST 511. MSLIS Students regularly work with local libraries and library organizations as part of their class projects and research.
“You had me at ‘outreach’ . . . I relish the chance to champion the library. This is the kind of thing I always wanted to do.” —MAGGIE FOSTER G’13
“You had me at outreach,” she said of the job, which includes taking the suburban Onondaga County library’s outreach van and book bike cart to community schools and events. “I relish the chance to champion the library,” she said. “This is the kind of thing I always wanted to do.” She appreciates the region’s diversity and vitality. “I love the city feel in Syracuse, but you can drive 25 minutes in any direction and I’m in more of a rural setting,” she said. In 2013, while working at Hazard Library on Syracuse’s west side, she met the man she would marry in December 2017. He and his children, then 6, 7 and 8, regularly visited the library after school; Maria, the oldest, played matchmaker. “I met them in my favorite place doing what I love to do,” Foster said. The relationship settled thoughts about leaving Central New York. “I loved Syracuse and I liked my job. I think I would have stayed anyway,” she said. “This is where I’m meant to be.”
“It’s their historical collections and materials that make each library different. Interlibrary loan makes it easy to get different kinds of books. It’s harder to get photos of what downtown Syracuse looked like when trains ran through it. There’s a lot of great material out there.” — RYAN PERRY G’15, DIGITAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIAN, CENTRAL NEW YORK LIBRARY RESOURCES COUNCIL
“We don’t sit and read books all day. Libraries are ever-evolving and they’re not just about books anymore. People who think that haven’t been paying attention. Libraries are communities. They’re experiences. They’re not just the place to pick up the latest bestseller.” — MARC WILDMAN G’99, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTRAL NEW YORK LIBRARY RESOURCES COUNCIL
“Libraries change with the community and what the community needs. We’re here to better the lives of people we serve. Our patrons are interesting to us. They’re why we do the work we do.’ — TRUDI ANTOINE G’16, MAKERSPACE INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST, ONONDAGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
“We fill in the gaps where social services need help. We connect patrons to resources. Libraries are where you can share your story and together we can find ways to make your life and the city and the world better.” — DRAGANA DROBNJAK CAS ’16, MAKERSPACE MANAGER, ONONDAGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
“I wish people knew how fun it was to learn something new. Librarians love helping people find the answers to their questions; we navigate people through the mess that is our information highway, ensuring they find their answer or direction. Our skills put us in a great position to motivate individuals and communities to grow, extrinsically and intrinsically, through learning.” — MAGGIE FOSTER G’13, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ADULT PROGRAMMING. LIVERPOOL PUBLIC LIBRARY
“We’re always trying to connect people. Our job is caretaking of the community. We want to make sure people have the information they want or need. We also want to make sure they have safe spaces for inquiry. It’s a nice community to be a part of. We’re can-do people.” — JILL HURST-WAHL, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE, ISCHOOL
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iSchool and Effat University Renew
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ow does Effat University, Saudia Arabia’s first private university for women, achieve its mission to “help educate tomorrow’s leaders to an international standard”? And how, in just 20 years, has Effat gained a global reputation and grown by an order of magnitude? One effective strategy has been to reach out for partners—like Syracuse University’s iSchool—that are pioneers in fields vital to global progress and understanding. In 2012, representatives from Effat University in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), approached the iSchool for advice in creating a new information systems program that would equip students with the broad management, social sciences, and technical skills needed by today’s information professionals. This initial contact led to a four-year partnership agreement and annual visits to Effat’s campus that, by all accounts, have yielded great gains. Syracuse’s post-visit summary reports are often held up as the standard of effective collaboration for Effat’s other university partnerships around the world. Syracuse leaders have found the partnership with Effat to be an important and symbiotic new way to build a global
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THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
information network, attract more international students, and engage with institutions and alumni in key countries worldwide. According to Professor Paul Gandel, lead faculty member on the partnership and iSchool veteran, the union has been exciting for many reasons, especially in that both universities have been able to learn from the other. “It would be presumptuous to see this as one-sided,” said Gandel. “Effat’s leaders are highly accomplished individuals. We are sharing our experience and knowledge, making suggestions and observations, and providing summary reports—so they can shape their own programs to meet the needs of their students. That said, we are learning much from Effat. The challenges they face in the global higher education marketplace in the Middle East, are challenges we may face in the future.” The partnership officially began with a March 2013 signing ceremony on the Syracuse campus, attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Loulwah Al Faisial, daughter of Queen Effat Al Thunayan, who founded the university. At the event, Al Faisal expressed her hope that the partnership would do “more than link the two institutions.” She hoped it
Partnership
BY BARBARA BROOKS
also would create “new opportunities for understanding and economic development between countries.” Since its inception in 1999 by Queen Effat—wife of the late King Faisal and widely recognized as the mother of education in the KSA—the institution has grown from about 200 students to more than ten times that number. In 2009, with the inauguration of three colleges and more than a dozen undergraduate programs, Effat earned official designation as a university. It now offers three master’s degrees in addition to a variety of undergraduate degrees, including the relatively new one in information systems. Effat’s College of Engineering recently completed the extremely rigorous review process to earn accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., the non-governmental overseer of global postsecondary education programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. While many contributed to this important milestone, the reviewer’s report noted evidence of Syracuse’s contributions.
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ast October, representatives from Effat and the iSchool signed a second four-year agreement, and in February, Gandel and his partner on the project, 2012 iSchool Ph.D. graduate Sarah Inoue, made their fifth visit to Effat’s campus. Synergy at the highest level continues to make the partnership work. Gandel put it this way. “The iSchool was created out of a vision of the need to bring an interdisciplinary understanding to the way information connects us, informs us, and helps us be better citizens and societies. Effat’s commitment to opening new opportunities in information studies—especially for young women—proves that their leadership recognizes the importance of this approach to information studies and the opportunities it can provide for their students.” Gandel, who holds a Ph.D. in information science from the iSchool, has worked in private industry and higher education administration for more than 25 years. In 2004, he returned to Syracuse to serve as vice president and the university’s first chief information officer. After spearheading a major upgrade of the campus network and the creation on campus of one of the greenest data centers in the world, he transitioned away from administration in 2007 to become a full-time faculty member at the iSchool. Before returning to full-time teaching, Gandel spent some time in Singapore,
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consulting with a university there. This reinforced his belief in the importance of global outreach and world-wide partnerships in higher education. Now, he is especially gratified to be associated with and contributing to Effat’s growing information systems program. Inoue, too, has become personally invested. She initially supported the partnership while serving as project manager for international development for the iSchool from 2012– 2015. Through her visits to Effat, she has witnessed a palpable culture shift on campus. She hopes that Syracuse’s global activity will bring more women from the Middle East to information science, and more Effat students to Syracuse. Inoue said, “according to Effat’s President Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, initially all of the professors at Effat were male, and they were separated from female students in a fairly awkward manner. They led their classes from one side of a partition, and the women students watched from the other side, on television screens. This practice ended fairly quickly, but for many years men were few on campus. You might hear someone shout, ‘Men are coming!’
Sarah Inoue and Paul Gandel with Effat University administrators during a recent visit.
Sarah Inoue delivers a presentation about Syracuse to an audience of faculty and students at Effat University.
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THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
and everyone would adjust their abayas and head scarves to make sure they were fully covered.” However, by the time Gandel and Inoue first visited in May 2014, the presence of men was more common. “Now,” she said, “women are more accustomed to the presence of male professors and visitors to campus. Male professors interact with female students and colleagues not unlike the way they would on any American college campus.” But one thing hasn’t changed. Beginning with her first visit, Inoue has seen how eager Effat students are about careers in technology. “Unlike in the U.S., where male workers dominate the IT field, in Saudi Arabia, they see it as an opportunity for women. Women are excited about math and engineering, and they’re not worried or intimidated. They are totally confident in their ability.” Inoue would like to see some of that energy carry into iSchool classrooms. “In addition,” she said, “bringing Effat students to the iSchool can help build relations among Muslims, Jews, and Christians.” According to Susan Corieri, assistant dean for enrollment management and special academic program initiatives at the iSchool, there is great promise for Saudi students to succeed at Syracuse. While they inevitably must adjust to co-educational classrooms and American social life, at Syracuse they also will find Halal options in the dining hall, an imam on campus, and local places to worship. According to the Institute for International Education, the number of Saudi students in America has grown steadily over more than a decade, peaking at 60,000 in 2015–2016.
“Being in an American classroom was definitely a new experience for me. I got to meet people from different backgrounds and was introduced to different student-instructor communication methods that I found very effective in understanding the course materials.”
Financial and political factors caused that number to fall last year for the first time, by 14 percent, but Corieri hopes to see a rebound.
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n fall 2016, Sarah Alqabbaa became the first Effat student to study at Syracuse, bringing confidence and optimism with her. “For me, knowing that what I am studying now will be relevant and needed in the future makes me feel excited about graduating and working. This field is becoming more important because Saudi Arabia is now going through huge developments when it comes to smart cities, technology, and related fields. That’s why the Saudiwomen presence in this work field is very important. Big data and information will be a big part of our future.” Alqabbaa also was inspired by the American style of teaching and learning. “Being in an American classroom was definitely a new experience for me,” she said. — SARAH ALQABBAA “I got to meet people from different backgrounds and was introduced to different student-instructor communication methods that I found very effective in understanding the course materials. Being associated with Syracuse is not only good for improving the curriculum [at Effat], but it also gives opportunities for international study.”
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audi-born Mohammed Rifqi ’11 G’13 agrees. He parlayed his dual degrees from the iSchool into a job in Riyadh, working as a senior quality specialist at the Arab National Bank. He said, “The skills and knowledge I obtained from both degrees [gave] me the necessary combination of selfmotivation, experience, personality and academic knowledge to succeed in any job. I wish that the partnership with Effat University would allow other Saudis to receive such an excellent education.”
An Effat University student shows off her design for a new bicycle during an Effat Makerspace event.
Rifqi is also grateful for SU’s overall involvement in Saudi Arabia, specifically for helping “bring a new dimension to the education system in Saudi universities.” While impacting the education system of a Kingdom may be a long-term undertaking, for now, the iSchool team of Gandel and Inoue is content to focus on more modest goals. For example, last spring at Effat, they participated in a conference to help faculty and students lay the groundwork for a maker space that would be inspired, in part, by the one at Syracuse. Consistent with the established rapport, the goal wasn’t to replicate Syracuse’s space, but rather to help Effat develop its own plan for a space that would foster that’s community’s style of creativity and entrepreneurship. Inoue said, “Our hope is that they can learn from our experiences at the iSchool—both our successes and mistakes. So, we often talk about the nitty gritty, such as, how often do they change out their computers, or how do they balance teaching and research time for their faculty. “Paul and I chuckle. From experience, we can assure them it’s good news that they will soon be struggling with the issue of not enough parking!”
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I N D U S T R Y
iNSiGHTS
Exploring Collaboration Possibilities BY: SARAH WEBER DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYER RELATIONS
As diverse as the field of information technology is, so too are the unique industry partnership possibilities with the iSchool. In this edition of Industry Insights, I highlight two very different collaborations the iSchool is excited to be a part of. NATIONAL GRID Sarah Weber
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n electricity and natural gas delivery company, National Grid meets the energy needs of more than 20 million people across the Northeast United States. National Grid is also a longstanding iSchool industry partner, and collectively our organizations work to meet the educational needs of not only National Grids’ future professionals, but their current employees as well. Industry partnerships assist the iSchool in offering not only a cutting edge curriculum and projects through traditional offerings, but to also deliver coursework in creative ways, to meet the needs of working professionals in a variety of industries. In 2013, National Grid approached us with a request to offer their current employees credit-bearing courses to enhance the career development strategy of the company. From that first conversation, the concept for the interdisciplinary Certificate of Advanced Study in Enterprise Technology Leadership was developed. The certificate brings together the expertise of faculty from Syracuse’s Whitman School of Management, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, and the iSchool to assist industry professionals in further honing their technical and management skills to lead high performance teams more effectively. Since the program’s inception, eight cohorts of National Grid professionals have participated, both on-campus and online,
THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
“Syracuse University’s iSchool was able to tailor a unique multidisciplinary certificate program that fits perfectly with the skill sets we need at National Grid. Developing employees with a combination of management, engineering, and information tech nology courses has helped us to adapt to the fast pace of change in the utility industry. This is more important than ever as we transition to a smarter and more flexible grid that is able to accommodate the growing demand for renewable energy.” – PETER HASWELL, MANAGER, TRANSMISSION ASSET MANAGEMENT – NY
gaining a Syracuse University certificate in the short term that can be applied to a full graduate degree over the long term – and interest is only growing within National Grid as well as other companies. In addition to academic collaborations, the iSchool’s partnership with National Grid extends to hosting students on our signature Road Trips, internship opportunities, and National Grid employees teaching for us as adjunct faculty members. Showcasing the City of Syracuse this past February, the iSchool’s Hometown Road Trip included a visit to National Grid. iSchool alumni there provided valuable insights into
information technology careers in the energy industry in additional to sharing their personal stories and advice with our students. National Grid also regularly recruits and hires iSchool students for summer internships, providing valuable work-based learning opportunities. n
THE CITY OF SYRACUSE AND AT&T
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he iSchool, AT&T, and the City of Syracuse partner to host a yearly hackathon for Syracuse community members. The Hackathon is designed to engage technologists, designers, developers, and anyone interested in using their technical skillsets for social good. Utilizing data released from the city, the Syracuse community, spanning from Syracuse University students to professionals across Central New York, is challenged to find creative to solutions to some of the city’s most pressing initiatives through the Hackathon. For the past two years this has included mapping the conditions (potholes) of city streets and most recently, efficient snow removal from city streets. Participants are welcomed to form teams, or work as individuals, with cash prizes made available through generous funding provided by AT&T. This initiative provides a wonderful opportunity for not only community members to contribute to their City’s initiatives, but for civic minded iSchool students to as well. Students are challenged to apply what they learn in the classroom to create data visualizations, derive unique insights from the data, and help the City’s Innovation Team staff, led by iSchool alumnus Sam Edelstein, determine what they should look for from the data sets. These are merely examples proposed to the participants at the beginning of the challenge, and their creative submissions exceed expectations providing thoughtful insights to
City of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh with iSchool graduate students, third-place winners in the 2018 ‘Plowing Through the Data’ Hackathon that leveraged data gathered by the city’s fleet of snowplows.
guide the city. The solid foundation provided by their academic programs, combined with their ingenuity, consistently places iSchool students among the event winners. This unique partnership brought together over 90 participants across 36 teams for 2018 Hackathon and is a true team effort between the three organizations with a variety of representatives and leaders contributing to
the event. AT&T, City of Syracuse, and iSchool representatives serve as judges for the competition, evaluating projects on presentation, idea creativity, sustainability, impact, and technical quality. iSchool faculty members also host virtual office hours for all participants over the course of the event. n
LEARN MORE Want to learn more about industry partnership opportunities with the iSchool? Contact me at sfweber@syr.edu, or 315-443-5801.
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DAVID BRODA
Welcoming New Members to Our Alumni Family JULIE WALAS, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
I Julie Walas
How can you help welcome the Class of 2018 to our alumni family? Here are a few easy ideas:
n my 10 years here at the iSchool, the bright-eyed seventeen-year-olds I once convinced to come here, have become our young alumni, including many of you reading this magazine! This May, I had the opportunity and privilege to address the crowd at Convocation for the first time – some of them I’ve known since they were in high school – and provide them a welcome to our alumni community. I wanted to share an excerpt of my message to them about becoming alumni with you all — in hopes that you’ll help me welcome them in as one of us.
That’s why we are all here — and always will be here — to support you and (like today) to celebrate you. I encourage you to come home to Syracuse, to come often, and to soak in your time when you’re back. Share your stories. Bring your friends and family. Come out to alumni networking events in your city. Mentor and host current students. I encourage and hope you’ll keep connected — to those in the seats next to you, to the Orange alumni family welcoming you, and to the future oranges coming after you. Please keep the iSchool in your thoughts, in your newsfeed, and PLEASE READ YOUR EMAILS from us. We want to help you share the talent, experience, and riches you acquire throughout your life with our greater iSchool family. Your iSchool journey does not end here. Leave here today with more confidence than you have ever had, and with the knowledge that your fellow alumni are cheering you on! You have earned a place in the history of the iSchool, and we celebrate you, your accomplishments, and your dedication.” n
● Attend an upcoming alumni event
in your area and make sure to chat with someone from the Class of 2018 while you’re there ● Accept a LinkedIn request and send
a message to a recent graduate ● Talk with Human Resources at your
company and ask if there are any Syracuse graduates joining — take them out for coffee J.D. ROSS
● Ask me if there’s anyone looking to
connect with alumni for advice in a particular job role or industry — I’ll happily pair you up!
MY MESSAGE TO THE GRADUATES:
J.D. ROSS
Above: Undergraduates from the Class of 2018. Below and Right: Members of the Class of 2018 gather at our traditional Senior Sendoff toast on the Quad.
“It is your opportunity as the newest member of this iSchool alumni group, to go out there and make us proud. It is my privilege to be with you here today, and to encourage you to leave the snug embrace of what has been your home away from home for the past 3, 4… shall we just say ‘few years’, with head held high, and with all the strength you can muster, because the world you will find is simultaneously exciting and just plain hard. J.D. ROSS
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B.S. in Information Management and Technology
Madison Quisenberry ’17 took a position as a Digital and Social Content Publisher for the NBA in Secaucus, N.J. She credits her success in landing at the NBA to a connection she made on the iSchool’s 2016 Sports Technology RoadTrip.
Jason Mills ’95 G’96 was recognized as a Modern Day Technology Leader at the 2018 Black Engineer of the Year Awards. Phillip Cala ’02 took a new role as the Executive Officer to the Army Deputy Chief Information Officer.
M.S. in Information Management
Eric Waldo ’03 has been named Chief Operating Officer of StartUp Health, a company formed in 2011 that organizes entrepreneurs in helping to solve the world’s biggest health challenges.
Christine Parker G’93 is now Vice President, Financial Services Industry Market Lead at Pegasystems in Cambridge, Mass.
Devon Goins ’09, Technical Manager at AITHERAS returned to campus in January to speak with students as part of the iSchool’s HINDSights program. JULIE WALAS
Anis Yusoff G’93
Anis Yusoff G’93 has recently taken a new appointment as Malaysia’s Director General of the National Integrity and Good Governance Department under the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office.
Gregory Zink G’09 recently began teaching as an adjunct faculty member at the iSchool. His first course was Information Systems Analysis (IST 654). Zink also serves as the Deputy Executive Director of Solutions and Strategy for the New York State Office of Information Technology Services. Graham Warner G’13 delivered the keynote address at the Convocation for Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in May. He is Chief Operating Officer of Global Transaction Banking for Deutsche Bank in New York City.
HINDSights PARTICIPANT Devon Goins ’09 STEVE SARTORI
Wesley Purvis ’10 G’12 presented on enterprise Wi-Fi access points at the Wireless LAN Professionals Conference in Phoenix in February. He is a Technical Marketing Engineer for Mist Systems.
Joshua Aviv G’17, founder and CEO of SparkCharge, a company that has developed a portable, ultrafast charging unit for electric vehicles, won a spot in the Techstars Boston startup accelerator in March.
M.S. in Library and Information Science Jeff Bullard G’86 writes that he has been named Library Administrator and Cluster Leader at the Philadelphia Free Library. The position, he notes, is “the person responsible for guiding the 6 library locations in South Philadelphia as we navigate forward with the traditional excellence the Free Library is known for.” Susan Polos G’98 was named to the New York State Board of Regents Advisory Council on Libraries. Polos serves as a school librarian at the Bedford (NY) Central School District. Susan Kowalski G’03 was named to the New York State Board of Regents Advisory Council on Libraries. She is a a school librarian at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse, NY. Erin Dorney G’08 is a Minnesota-based writer who released a new book, I Am Not Famous Anymore, a collection of erasure poems sourced from media interviews with actor Shia LaBeouf. Her book launch tour will continue this summer and fall throughout the Northeast. Juan Rivera G’16, library media specialist at the A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in New York City was named to the New York State Board of Regents Advisory Council on Libraries. He also was selected for the American Library Association’s 2018 Emerging Leaders class.
Alec Truitt ’11 and his wife Laura recently welcomed their daughter, Taylor Madison, into the world. Alec is an account executive for Google. Cailyn Lewis ’16 has started a new role as a QA/Test Engineer at KaiNexus in Dallas, TX.
Graham Warner G’13 , speaking at the College of Visual and Performing Arts Convocation ceremony in May.
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Use the enclosed envelope to make your gift and let us know about your professional and personal accomplishments, such as promotions, awards, marriages, births, and adoptions, so that we can include them on our website, or in a future issue of Connections. Also, please keep us informed of any address or employment changes. • Visit ischool.syr.edu/alumniupdate to change or submit information. • Visit ischool.syr.edu/alumni to participate in the online alumni community and make a gift to the school. • Information can also be submitted via e-mail to istalum@syr.edu. Julie Walas Director of Alumni and Student Engagement School of Information Studies Syracuse University 343L Hinds Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244 315-443-4133
facebook.com/su.ischool
twitter.com/ischoolsu ischool.syr.edu/linkedin instagram.com/ischoolsu youtube.com/syracuseischool
Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology Linda C. Smith G’79 was honored by the University of Illinois, being included in their list of 150 women throughout the 150-year history of University. Currently a full professor, she has served as Interim Dean and Acting Dean for the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Illinois. In August 2017, she was named the Executive Associate Dean of the iSchool. She has held positions in many professional organizations, including serving as president of both the Association for Information Science and Technology and the Association for Library and Information Science Education. Sanda Erdelez G’95 was appointed Director of the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College in Boston, Mass. She arrives at Simmons after serving at the University of Missouri School of Information Science and Learning Technologies as a faculty member and Associate Director for Education at the Missouri Informatics Institute.
J.D. ROSS
G’93, G’98
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Xiaozhong Liu G’11 recently received tenure, and is an Associate Professor of Information Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. He has taken a 2 year academic leave to work at Alibaba’s Institution of Data Science and Technology as Research Director of Text Mining and NLP. He will work on NLP problems like sentiment analysis, text classification, information summarization, and information understanding. “Part of my job is to help the team more successful in publishing in the leading conferences,” he says. “The data is quite amazing. The total user data here is almost 3 times bigger than Amazon and eBay, and this is the key reason that I choose this lab for my academic leave.”
Remembering Joanne Lavine Silverstein ’73, G’93, G’98
Joanne Lavine Silverstein ’73,
Joanne’s husband, Paul , cuts the ribbon to dedicate the new office as her brother, Gary, sister, Laura, and Dean Liz Liddy look on.
K. Matthew Dames G’11 has been named University Librarian at the University of Boston. He begins his tenure at Boston in July, having spent the past two years as the Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Services at Georgetown University.
In April, the third floor Ph.D. office in Hinds Hall was renamed in memory of M.S. and Ph.D. graduate Joanne Lavine Silverstein. Her husband Paul Silverstein, brother Gary Lavine, and sister Laura Lavine wanted to create a learning and research space for others, as it was just the sort of legacy Joanne would have wanted. Joanne first came to the iSchool in 1991 as a master’s student in the Information Management program. After earning the master’s in 1993, she went on to earn a Ph.D. in information science and technology in 1998. She was then hired as a faculty member by the school and researcher by the Information Institute of Syracuse.
J.D. ROSS
Thank you to our Experiential Learning Trip Hosts We thank our alumni and corporate friends at the following companies for hosting our students this year on the iSchool’s experiential learning trips. For information about how you can host a group of students, contact Julie Walas at jlwalas@syr.edu.
Peak 2 Peak Seattle & Portland Amazon Boeing Cloudability CoMotion Geekwire Impact Hub Intel Microsoft Nike Outreach.io PIE PMI Smarsh Starbucks StartupHall / TechStars TAO T-Mobile
Fall Road Trip NYC CBS Interactive Conde Nast CNN Tech ESPN Momentum NBC Universal Panoply Showtime
Hometown Road Trip Syracuse City of Syracuse – Innovation Team Eric Mower & Associates National Grid Terakeet TCG Player
EntreTech NYC Arkadium BrandYourself CrowdTwist Density Emoji Good Uncle LinkedIn Mag Sourcing Moviepass / HMNY NYonTech Salesforce Sevenrooms Scott’s Pizza Tour University Beyond / Quake Capital Walk.Me Warby Parker Wethos Vox Media
Washington D.C. Road Trip Federal Reserve Board Georgetown University IBM Design Studio Inter-American Development Bank Library of Congress Metro Washington Airport Authority NPR U.S. Department of Defense U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. National Library of Medicine U.S. Senate World Bank
Spring Break in Silicon Valley Adobe Airbnb Big Switch Networks Bug Crowd Cisco Meraki Density Elevate Google GE IDEO Intercom LinkedIn Lux Capital MobileIron NEST ROIDNA Salesforce Stanford University Threadloom Twitter Uber Yewno
Travis Mason ’06, former iSchool Road Trip host, delivers the keynote address at the 2018 iSchool Convocation ceremony in May. Mason is now Vice President for Public Policy at Airbus.
TechTrek Chicago 1871 Automotive Media Company Catapult Chicago ArchAngels CitizensRX Facebook Google LinkedIn MHub Relativity Salesforce Tempus Trading Technologies THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
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Connecting with Alumni Washington, D.C. | RoadTrip
Alumni Event at Fuel Pizza Cameron Dixon G’13 welcomes students on the D.C. RoadTrip to the Department of Homeland Security.
Alumni on the Generation Orange Young Alumni Leadership Council meet with Julie Walas in D.C. From left, Nicole Osborne ‘14, Amanda Quick ’14 G’16, Julie Walas, Maliz Mahop ‘15, Oriana Fuentes ‘12, David Rosen ’11 G’12, and Matt Steadman ’18.
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Kenny Rosenblatt ’96 (left) at his company, Arkadium, and Wiley Cerilli ’02 (above), at Good Uncle, speak with students on the iSchool’s EntreTech NYC immersion trip. Aravind Gopalakrishnan G’15 (right) talks with students at the evening alumni event.
THE iSCHOOL @ SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Spring Break in Silicon Valley
Alumni hosts at Google introduce themselves to students on the Spring Break in Silicon Valley trip. From left, Mike Librizzi ‘05, Katie Lewinski ’11, Matt Ostman ’16, Sean Ginevan ’04, G’08, and Kayleigh Minicozzi ’08.
Sophomore Success at EY Alumni at EY, Andrew Meyers ’17, Nina Ali ’17, and Michelle Gaston ’13, G’14, speak with sophomores interested in careers in the consulting world during the iSchool / EY Sophomore Success event in New York City.
TechTrek Chicago
Clockwise from left: Maliz Mahop ’15 (right) rides the L with TechTrek students. David McGarry ’93, head of digital marketing at Automotive Internet Media, was a first-time host for the iSchool’s newest immersion trip, TechTrek Chicago. Frieda Projansky ’16 (left) meets with student Lily Stoodt ’20 during the evening alumni gathering.
Celebrating 25 Years of BLISTS Former members of the Black and Latino Information Studies Support (BLISTS) student organization joined with current students, faculty, and staff in April to mark BLISTS’ 25th anniversary. The event, A BLISTSful Return, was part networking and part reunion, allowing participants a chance to get to know and learn from one another.
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iSchool Education Helped Frame Rewarding Photography Careers for Two Alumni T
wo iSchool alumni—Daniel Marino ’97 and April Renae ’99—are living their second-career dreams as professional photographers. The two met this spring for the first time in Brooklyn, where they live just a neighborhood apart. But don’t let their surface similarities fool you. No two artists are alike.
SARAH F. WEBER
BY: BARBARA BROOKS
Dan Marino ’97
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April Renae and Dan Marino i n New York City, where they both work as professional photographers.
D A N AT A G L A N C E : Creative vision: “Capturing special moments is meaningful for me. You learn about the world this way.”
DAN MARINO ’97
“Photography is a thread through my whole life,” said Marino, whose grandfather’s iconic Brooklyn studio is remembered today by some of the families whose weddings he chronicles. After hedging his bets for more than a decade, Marino made the leap in 2010 to running a full-time photography business. His first career blended the hard skills of finance, consulting, technology, and project management—and offered occasional opportunities for visual expression, through web design and data visualization. In his spare time, Marino photographed urban landscapes, and collaborated with Brooklyn artists to create the first map of the borough’s fledgling studios. The project tapped his entrepreneurial talents and gave him the confidence and vision to launch a business of his own. Today, Marino said, he “constantly evolves,” to keep his work meaningful and relevant. He shoots weddings and family events, corporate assignments, school pictures, and dancers. He brings the curiosity of a storyteller and the precision of an architect to every “unposed pose.” Marino said: “Capturing movement with photography takes a certain skill set. Once I drop down, I’ll find the moment.” Dan’s website is danmarinophoto. com.
Business strategy: “School portraits became an anchor client. Dance studios came next, which led to environmental portraits of professional dancers.” What’s next: “I am combining photography and oil painting to create heirloom family portraits.” Tech specs: “It starts with the camera. I currently use a Canon 1DX DSLR, Fuji XT2 Mirrorless, and an assortment of fast lenses to capture action such as dancers leaping, children running, brides and grooms interacting, etc. Editing, coloring, keywording, metadata, and eventually publishing to online websites for client viewing and interaction, all are necessary to complete the documented story.”
Capturing complicated wedding-day emotion with the “unposed pose.” (2016)
DAN MARINO ’97
A portrait photograph, hand painted onto canvas, creates a family heirloom. (2018)
Documentary-style photography reveals the real-time energy and emotion of a corporate party. (2016) DAN MARINO ’97
At the iSchool: “I learned all the skills that rounded me out for a career in business and technology: communications and advertising, how to build a cyber company, and how the mind works in terms of decision-making and buying. Starting out with an iSchool background has been a tremendous advantage.” Favorite photo/shoot in the past six months: “I have enjoyed photographing dancers of all skill levels and ages in an urban, rugged environment such as New York City. This is where my creativity is at its best. I love the architectural lines of the city and how it compares to a dancer in motion.” The one that got away: “In the late ’90s into 2001, I loved working in downtown Manhattan across from the Twin Towers. However, back then, my focus was to get to my bus home. I moved too quickly past tourists who were snapping those shots I wish were in my portfolio today.”
The dancer’s beauty and strength are heightened, when photographed in front of the wood, glass, iron and street art of New York City. (2017)
April Renae ’99 “In the late ’90s into 2001, Renae, who spent her first year after I loved working in downtown the iSchool as a consultant with Ernst & Young, has been “piecing together and Manhattan across from the Twin rebuilding” ever since, pursuing her pasTowers. However, back then, my sion for fine art printing and photography also planning ahead for economic focus was to get to my bus home. I while downturns and worse. When 9/11 hit, moved too quickly past tourists who she was working 80 hours a week on a consulting contract for Siemens in were snapping those shots I wish Munich, Germany, while also taking pictures and developing the film in were in my portfolio today.” continued on next page —DAN MARINO
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Kristen, six months pregnant with twins, and Desiree—seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day, on the lowerManhattan waterfront. (2017)
Personal branding portrait session for jazz musician Susanne Ortner, in her New Orleans studio. (2018)
APRIL RENAE ’99
Photographed in the garden of April’s Greenpoint, Brooklyn apartment, during the “blue hour” (about 5 a.m.), using a 4x5 view camera and color film. (2005)
continued from page 29
Photographing with her iPhone and Hipstamatic app allowed April to photograph in Turkey while also carrying two clarinets. (2014)
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her hotel bathroom, which she sealed of all light. Upon returning to the states, she took a black-and-white printing workshop with the renowned John Sexton, and earned a bachelor of fine art degree from the Pratt Institute in New York, and took up the Turkish clarinet, which led to long-term home stays in Turkey. That’s where her evolution as a journalistic-style photographer began. “After Pratt, I would draw sketches and then set up my 4x5 film camera before taking a shot,” Renae said. “But surrounded by the sounds, movement,
J.D. ROSS
APRIL RENAE ’99
“I learned core technology, analytic, and systems skills that are critical for running a business and organizing massive amounts of data and information. In Syracuse’s R&D Lab, I worked on virtual-learning and interface-search projects that were cutting edge at the time.” —APRIL RENAE
APRIL RENAE ’99
and colors of Istanbul, I suddenly wanted to photograph in the street.” She also developed her niche for capturing the essence of musicians in their environments, and for observing intimate wedding moments with her camera. She now splits her time between Brooklyn and New Orleans. April’s website is aprilrenae.com.
A P R I L AT A GLANCE: Creative vision: “I must be completely present, so I can improvise with the light, color and surrounding environment. I’m stealthy and quick, and occasionally compared to a ninja!” Business strategy: “Spring through fall are the most popular seasons for photography in New York. While in the winter into early spring, there is a lot happening in New Orleans.” What’s next: “This July, I will be in visiting Station F, an enormous startup campus in Paris, to meet and photograph the entrepreneurs who are developing sustainable products, as well as those in their Fighters program.” Tech specs: For film photography, most of my work has been made using a largeformat view camera, which, in addition to producing gorgeous negatives, has one of the most-beautiful-sounding shutters of any camera. On the streets, I use a Leica rangefinder and iPhone, mainly for their
size, and a digital SLR—the Canon Mark III. At the iSchool: “I learned core technology, analytic, and systems skills that are critical for running a business and organizing massive amounts of data and information. In Syracuse’s R&D Lab, I worked on virtual-learning and interface-search projects that were cutting edge at the time. Favorite photo/shoot in the past six months: “I had the honor to witness and capture a very special moment between a couple, seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day.” The one that got away: “On my next visit to see family in Ohio, I had plans to do a documentary portrait of Frank and Betty Stumbo, a couple that had been married for 69 years, and were best friends and business partners. Frank was the first mayor of my hometown and he and his wife also started the first newspaper, the Ontario Tribune. They both passed away, rather unexpectedly, before I got there.
During her HINDSights visit in January, Devon Goins ‘09 (left) met with graduate student Rohan Fagwani to review his resume and offer interviewing advice and tips. In addition to holding resume review sessions, Goins also met with several iSchool classes, and gave a longer Reflections Talk, outlining her career journey since her time at Syracuse.
Thank you to our Spring 2018 HINDsights alumni visitor program participants. Devon Goins ’09 Technical Manager AITHERAS Rachel Renock ’13 CEO and Creative Director Wethos Greg Cypes ‘99 Chief Technology Officer Contactually Want to visit campus and share your career and life experiences with iSchool students? In addition to class visits and presentations, visiting alumni are treated to campus tours, meals with faculty members, and are able to spend time getting caught up on what had happened at the Unviersity since you graduated. Contact Julie Walas at jlwalas@syr.edu for more information.
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Reflections
The Miraculous iSchool BY: STEVEN LILI HU G’04
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ou know you have acquired a good education when you grow fonder of it the longer that it has been since graduation. That is exactly how it feels now 14 years after my graduation from the iSchool’s MS program in Information Management, as I’m standing at the beginning of my second entrepreneurial adventure.
Steven Lili Hu G’04 J.D. ROSS
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I was attracted to the iSchool because the power of information awed me while I was working as an editorial staff member at Dow Jones’ Shanghai office when the new millennium had just begun. The news and information that I helped to edit at Dow Jones Newswires and other Dow Jones services often beat Reuters by merely 4 or 5 minutes in reaching clients but the 4-or-5-minute advantage usually meant a gain or loss of big fortunes to clients in the dynamic global financial market all due to the power of information. I fell in love with information and wanted to obtain the best information education possible in the world to comprehensively understand how information impacts the business world and society overall. I was fascinated that Syracuse billed itself as being the original information school and also thrilled that many of the programs were and are the most prestigious ones throughout the United States. The iSchool hasn’t failed me in any way, but what I didn’t realize at the time of my graduation was how miraculously my upcoming years would be impacted by my iSchool experience. After a short stay in the States after graduation, I went back to rejoin Dow Jones in Shanghai, this time as the Country Manager of Dow Jones Newswires, Sales and Marketing, with my boss not in mainland China anymore but in Hong Kong. Without my conscious awareness or attention, a seed planted during my iSchool years had been growing though and finally got ready to sprout out of the ground. Approaching the end of two years back at Dow Jones, I received an email from a venture capitalist based in San Mateo who I met years before, during my last summer at the iSchool. It made me relive a memory – I was playing around in the iSchool’s iLab when, all of a sudden, Professor Ian MacInnes brought two venture capitalists in to talk with me. As it turned out, Professor MacInnes had just presented a paper he co-authored with me (Business Models and Operational Issues in the Chinese Online Game Industry) at a conference and these two venture capitalists were in the audience. The pair were so intrigued by the ideas in our paper that they talked to Ian afterwards and the three then ended up driving all the way back to Syracuse together to meet with me.
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Hu’s new venture, Koo Coin Play, revolves around the idea of a ‘Playlancer,’ someone who plays video games to earn money.
It was a rather unexpected but fairly enjoyable conversation for me to have with the venture capitalists, during which I first heard about Second Life, a phenomenal virtual world which was just about to reach its peak. Nothing materialized immediately after the talk, but that was when the seed was initially planted and it finally came into fruition when the venture capitalist pinged me via that email a couple of years later asking if I was finally ready to quit my job and pursue the idea. It coincided with what I was planning to do, so I quit my job and founded my first company, InGameAd. About 18 months later, I was able to close the first round of investment for this startup, led by WPP and joined, miraculously, by the venture capitalist that I first met when I was dressed in shorts in the iLab that summer at the iSchool. The startup later closed a second round led by Singapore Telecom and is currently in talks with a U.S.-listed company for a possible acquisition deal.
I’m now embarking on a new adventure called Koo Coin Play, which tries to promote a brand new concept — “Playlancer” — meaning that anyone can earn some supplementary income as long as he or she knows how to play a video game. On the Koo Coin Play platform, users throughout the world compete with each other in real time to see who is better on any game about which they are passionate out of the 700-plus purely skills-based games across all genres and playable across all devices, PC and mobile. On top of winning, users also take profits. This whole approach represents a brand new opportunity for people to explore this huge trend of “Freelancer” economy to their leisure time. This is pretty interdisciplinary in essence, something that the iSchool is all about in my mind. One of the things that impresses me most deeply is that the iSchool not only wholeheartedly embraces — but also truly thrives on — being interdisciplinary, which is best embodied by its faculty’s various backgrounds and teaching/researching specialties, from technology, media, and telecommunications technologies to business management to policy to human computer interface design, and even linguistics! This has greatly inspired me to found both of my startups in extremely interdisciplinary areas. Will people fall in love with this “Playlancer” model and eventually can a new lifestyle be born in society where people have a more productive balance between their work and leisure? I don’t have the answer, but I have a burning desire to give it an entrepreneurial try. I’m thrilled to notice that entrepreneurship is now a major theme at the iSchool, as I firmly believe that its indisputable excellence in education on information – exactly at the heart of the Internet revolution – plus its unparalleled interdisciplinary approach, lay the best foundation possible for anyone aspiring for entrepreneurial adventures, especially in the technology and media industries. n
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iSupport ON THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING CONNECTED KIMBERLY A. PIETRO ASSISTANT DEAN FOR ADVANCEMENT
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n 1948, Alice Corwin was a newly minted graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Library Science when she sent a letter to the school’s director updating him on her new library job. She included what was a generous check at the time for the endowment fund. Program Director, Warton Miller, sent his thanks in a chatty return letter. Thus began Alice’s life as a connected alumna. To better express the evolving disciplines of information studies and information management, the School of Library Science changed its name in 1974 and became the first School of Information Studies in the world. There are now over 90 iSchools on five continents, members of the iSchools Organization, all interested in fostering scholarship in “the relationship between information, technology, and people.” How people access information, new technologies, and how to improve those information interfaces across science, government, culture, and business is the concern of our students and our alumni. Our chosen field is ever-evolv-
The 1948 letter that Alice received from Wharton Miller, the then-director of the School of Library Science.
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ing and always exciting. But keeping up with new information and new technologies isn’t our only goal. We know and expect that our alums often lead the way through these new frontiers. From first jobs after graduation, through life and professional changes and challenges, to new opportunities for growth and understanding, an education from Syracuse University’s iSchool is foundational. And its people—faculty, staff, fellow students, and former classmates—are inspiring and impactful. Our iSchool’s global alumni community is more than 13,000 strong. Maintaining relationships with former classmates; keeping abreast of trends in the field; and providing or facilitating internship opportunities for current students; our alums are the creators and modifiers of our beneficial world-wide network. Who knows more about the importance of interconnectedness than iSchool graduates? It is what we research, it is what we teach, it is what we do. As active, lifelong supporters, alums will continue to benefit from connections
Alice as a student, posing for a photo in the snow in front of Hendricks Chapel
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Alice now, in her home in Florida
here and Syracuse University’s iSchool will continue to benefit from alums. So stay connected. Since 1948, it’s what Alice Corwin has done.
ARE YOU CONNECTED WITH US? Invitations to Syracuse University alumni events in your area are typically sent via e-mail. If you never updated your address when you graduated, or if you’ve recently moved, you might not be getting invited to events in your new city. Update your information here: ischool.syr.edu/ update n
KEEP IN TOUCH ON SOCIAL MEDIA
facebook.com/su.ischool twitter.com/ischoolsu ischool.syr.edu/linkedin instagram.com/ischoolsu youtube.com/syracuseischool
Nominations are Open — iSchool Alumni Awards The iSchool’s Awards & Recognition Program serves to highlight members of the iSchool community and showcases their talents and contributions. Awards are presented in the fall, during the University’s Orange Central homecoming weekend. This year, Orange Central will be held October 18 – 21. There is still time to nominate a classmate for this honor. Nominations are open until August 15, and the form is available online at: ischool. syr.edu/alumniawards.
Winners of the 2017 iSchool Alumni Awards with iSchool Dean Liz Liddy.
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NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SYRACUSE, NY
343 HINDS HALL | SYRACUSE NY 13244
J.D. ROSS
Upcoming Alumni Events Mark your calendars for these upcoming alumni events. Keep up with all iSchool events by visiting ischool.syr.edu/events. Alumni Receptions in Seattle and Portland ALUMNI RECEPTION IN SEATTLE Meet our students on the Peak 2 Peak trip! Tuesday, August 14 Cactus South Lake Union 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. ALUMNI RECEPTION IN PORTLAND
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Meet our students on the Peak 2 Peak trip! Thursday, August 16 Migration Brewing 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
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Alumni Reception at the Career Fair
✘ Wednesday, September 26 Alumni Reception in New York City
✘ Thursday, October 11 It Girls Alumnae Reception
✘ Sunday, October 14 – Monday, October 15
More information: itgirls.ischool.syr.edu
Helen Benning Regnier iSchool Seminar: Data Privacy and Protection
✘ Saturday, September 29
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. More information: ischool.syr.edu/seminar
Orange Central Reunions and Homecoming
✘ Thursday, October 18 – Sunday, October 21
Register online: orangecentral.syr.edu
✘ Friday, October 19 iSCHOOL ALUMNI AWARDS LUNCHEON
Family Weekend
✘ Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 29
More information: parents.syr.edu
Alumni Reception at NYLA Conference
✘ Friday, November 9
Rochester, NY – Dinosaur BBQ
Alumni Reception in Dublin, Ireland Meet students on the iSchool’s newest experiential
learning trip, Startup Dublin! Thursday, November 22
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We send event notifications via e-mail—do we have your correct e-mail address and location in our records? Update your information at: ischool.syr.edu/update so we can invite you to events in your region.