Cortland in the news

11/05/2019 

Science’s recent cover story, “Worms of the World,” was not for the squeamish.

Yet the topic is of great importance to those studying soil organisms and terrestrial ecosystems.

Andrea Dávalos, assistant professor in the Biological Sciences Department, was a co-author on one of the issue’s papers, “Global distribution of earthworm diversity.” The paper compiled samples from scientists across the globe to build a dataset from 6928 sites in 57 countries in order to help predict patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance and biomass.

Dávalos is currently studying jumping worms, an invasive species of earthworm originally from Asia, that have been spotted in the Central New York area.

In other news:

• Rhiannon Maton, assistant professor in the Foundations and Social Advocacy Department, was quoted in the Chicago Tribune in regards to the ongoing Chicago Teachers Union strike. Maton described how the strike is the latest example of growing teacher activism across the country.
• Ute Ritz-Deutch, a lecturer in the History Department, spoke at a prison reform panel in Auburn, N.Y. on Nov. 2. The Auburn Citizen quoted Ritz-Deutch on the topic of the tendencies of American prisons to put inmates in solitary confinement.
• Lindsey Darvin, assistant professor in the Sport Management Department, was quoted in an article in Forbes on the possibility that the NCAA may compensate athletes in the future and what role it will have for women’s sports.
• Robert Spitzer, distinguished service professor and chair of the Political Science Department, spoke with Newsradio 570 WSYR about the impact of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on the administration of President Trump.
• The Cortland Standard covered Joel Goldstein’s visit to campus and his lecture on the history of the vice presidency. Goldstein is a distinguished professor at the Washington University Law School in St. Louis, Missouri and is a frequent television news analyst.
• The Cortland Voice published a SUNY Cortland press release on the university being ranked No. 4 in New York by Zippia.com on its “Best Colleges for Jobs in New York” list.
• The Cortland Voice caught up with faculty, staff and students on campus to ask them about their plans for Halloween.
• Actor and director William Fichtner spoke with The Buffalo News about his film, “Cold Brook,” which was partially shot on the SUNY Cortland campus. The movie will be available to stream on Nov. 8 on the following services: Apple TV, iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, Google Play, Microsoft Movies and Play&TV, Sony PlayStation, FandangoNOW and Redbox on Demand.
• Nathan Doig ’03, an environmental conservation police officer for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, was named Officer of the Year by the Shikar-Safari Club International. Doig was recognized for his efforts in supporting wildlife rehabilitation in the Western Catskills.
• Sara Richardson Onyango ’07 was inducted into the Hilton (N.Y.) Central School District Alumni Hall of Fame. Onyango is a lieutenant in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, where she works with the Food and Drug Administration to inspect medical device manufacturers.
• Matt Senk ’80 was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. Senk will begin his 30th season as the head coach of the Stony Brook University baseball program this spring. He has led the team’s transition from Division III to Division I, accumulated 834 wins and guided the Seawolves to the College World Series in 2012.