Showcasing the culture of curiosity through faculty

By: Lexi Kiblin, Contributor

The IMPACT Center hosted the annual Celebration of Faculty Scholarship on Oct. 22, held in the Science Hall from 4-6 p.m. The event began with a warm welcome from Dr. Jonathan Rodgers, followed by remarks from Dr. Bridget Niland, Vice President for Academic Affairs. Niland encouraged attendees to remain curious, especially during challenging times, noting that each faculty member’s unique research inspires students to pursue their own passions and think creatively. One of the first presentations, delivered by Dr. David Moran, focused on assessing cultural strengths through bilingual assessments. Dr. Moran’s research addresses the lack of counseling assessments available in languages other than English, as well as the limited number of bilingual counselors. His project seeks to develop tools that assess cultural strengths through bilingual arguments, fostering inclusivity in the counseling process. Dr. Moran emphasized that this ongoing project welcomes student involvement for those interested in expanding access and equity in counseling practices. Next, Audrey Smith and Jennifer Trillizio-Smith of the physician’s assistant program presented their research on teaching through practice. Their work underscores the connection between clinical care and classroom learning, highlighting the importance of connecting theoretical knowledge to hands-on clinical experience. By engaging students in diverse, real world clinical experiences, their goal is to inspire a commitment to high-quality patient care. 

The final lighting talk was given by Dr. Shyam Sriram, who discussed his research on Asian Muslim immigration and upcycled religious spaces in Western New York. Dr. Sriram’s study explores how abandoned churches are being repurposed into mosques by Muslim communities, reflecting broader patterns of migration and adaptation. His project also includes the development of a website, which tracks and documents these transformations across the United States. To conclude the first part of the event, Jonathan Rodgers and Heather Campbell provided an overview of the IMPACT Center’s ongoing initiatives. Their mission is to promote, support and highlight faculty scholarship. The center offers grant resources and is in the process of developing a scholarly repository, anticipated to launch in 2026. The Celebration of Faculty Scholarship showcased the innovative and diverse research conducted by faculty members and highlighted the IMPACT Center’s commitment to fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration and academic excellence across the campus community. The Griffin’s features editor and copy editor, Hannah Wiley and Kaitlin O’Meara covered the presentations that followed in another article named “First annual Celebration of Faculty Scholarship.”