While the summer months are relatively quiet on Southern’s campus, many Owls take advantage of this time away from classes to delve into research, collaborate with colleagues locally and abroad, or to learn something new. Here is a small sampling of Southern faculty and students’ activities from summer 2025.
On Stage and Behind the Scenes
No one knows better than the Theatre Department that all the world’s a stage. This summer, several members of the department shared their talents with the world off campus, taking on roles in various theater companies and settings. At the Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, Conn., Adjunct Professor Jill Brunelle performed in the pit for My Fair Lady and recent theatre graduate Alexina Cristante, ’24, led the show’s wardrobe crew.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Larry Nye spent his summer directing Sweet Charity, Big, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Stagedoor Manor, the prestigious theater camp in the Catskills, while Adjunct Professor Jeff Raab directed Animal Farm at Stagedoor Manor.
Back in New Haven, for Elm Shakespeare Company’s (ESC) Bollywood-inspired production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, senior theatre major Kira Kelly performed in the cast, and several SCSU faculty were on the design team: Professor Heidi Leigh Hanson was costume designer, and the costumes were built in the SCSU costume shop with the help of Professor Richard Harding. Professor Nathan Roberts was the sound designer and brought in student Bob Tait to assist the sound team during the run. Adjunct Professor Rebecca Goodheart, producing artistic director of ESC, co-directed the play.
For A Broken Umbrella Theatre’s Family Business: (A)Pizza Play, performed during New Haven’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Theatre Department Chair Michael Skinner was the sound designer and audio engineer, and theatre major Bob Tait held the A2 (Audio 2) position working with Skinner and the cast.
Considering the Legacy of the Srebrenica Genocide
CSU professor David Pettigrew, chair of the Philosophy Department, continued his work around topics related to the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina recently marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, and several of Pettigrew’s activities over the summer involved his participation in commemorations and memorials. In May, he presented a keynote lecture at a conference in Stockholm, Sweden – “Ripples of Conflict-related Sexual Violence in 21st century Europe: Experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Ukraine” – co-hosted by the European Commission Representation to Sweden and the Embassies of Bosnia and Kosovo.
In June, he participated in an online “Roundtable on the Escalating Tensions in BiH [Bosnia and Herzegovina],” hosted by the BiH Diasporic Conference, and he then traveled to Bosnia to attend the commemoration in Kalinovik of the 33rd anniversary of the suffering of Bosniak civilians from that area. Later that month, he participated in a virtual program at the University of Antwerp Faculty of Arts: “Roundtable Srebrenica Genocide, 30 years after: legacies and challenges.”
In July, Pettigrew attended the Srebrenica commemoration at the United Nations in New York City, having been invited by Bosnia’s Ambassador to the U.N., Zlatko Lagumdžija. He also attended and presented a lecture at the Srebrenica commemoration in St. Louis, Mo., which took place on the steps of the historic Soldiers Memorial Museum dedicated in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later in July, Pettigrew gave a virtual presentation as part of a Srebrenica commemoration in NSW Australia and then headed back to Bosnia to attend the August 6 commemoration in the former Omarska concentration camp near Prijedor.
Gaining Hands-on Experience in Plant Science
Biotechnology major Sarah Gray was one of two Southern students selected for the Plant Health Fellows program, a summer research internship co-hosted by Southern and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). The selective program — supported by the United States Department of Agriculture — provides students with mentored lab experience, a $5,000 stipend, on-campus housing, and career development opportunities.
Since its establishment at Southern in 2017, it has trained 80 students from 43 colleges in 21 states. Impressively, 19 of the student researchers have hailed from Southern. “Our alumni have gone on to careers at biotech startups, government agencies, universities, and more,” says Elizabeth Roberts, associate dean of STEM at Southern. She leads the project alongside Lindsay Triplett, vice director and chief scientist for the Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology at the CAES.
In 2025, Gray, along with biology major Erik Galvin, spent nine weeks gaining hands-on experience in plant science. Gray focused on protecting crops — like soybeans — from harmful UV rays using carbon dots, tiny particles made from leaf waste. She worked in the CAES lab of scientist Washington da Silva and at the CSCU Center for Nanotechnology located at Southern to test how the particles absorb and re-emit light.
More at SouthernCT.edu/plant-health-fellows
Fieldwork and Fossils
Associate Professor of Biology Jonathan Weinbaum led graduate students Adé Ben-Salahuddin, ’25, and Danielle Hill, ’23, on a field expedition to the Chinle Formation in Arizona, a fossil-rich site dating back to the Late Triassic Period more than 200 million years ago. The region’s unique geology reveals an ancient landscape shifting from a wet, rainforest-type environment at the bottom to a full-blown desert at the very top. “We have some dinosaur material, but the majority of fossils we find are early relatives of crocodiles,” says Weinbaum.
It was the second site visit for Ben-Salahuddin, whose passion for paleontology was ignited by childhood documentaries and honed through work as a curatorial assistant at the Yale Peabody Museum. “The most challenging part was finding too many fossils,” he says of the bountiful finds and delicate excavation work.
For Hill, who grew up in an environment where evolution was a taboo subject, the fieldwork was transformative. Yes, the sun was relentless. But “when you unearth bones that haven’t seen that same sun in 213 million years, the discomfort goes away,” she says.
The trip also included collaboration with colleagues from The Texas Tech Museum and visits to iconic landmarks including the Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, and the Grand Canyon. Weinbaum, who has led excavations to the quarry for more than a decade, stresses the importance of both travel and hands-on research: “Being in the field is life changing.”
Introducing Local High School Students to the Nursing Field
For the fifth year, Southern once again partnered with Yale New Haven Hospital to introduce area high school students to healthcare careers through the Summer Nursing Symposium. The two-week program, designed for rising sophomores and juniors, was decidedly hands-on. During the first week, many activities were based in Southern’s state-of-the-art College of Health and Human Services building, which includes areas designed to simulate a real-world hospital floor as well as an in-home care setting. Students studied healthcare topics ranging from maternity to elder care, practiced lab skills, learned CPR, explored virtual reality, and more.
Next, the high schoolers shadowed healthcare workers at Yale New Haven Hospital. The tours included the emergency patient transport helicopter and landing pad, the trauma room ER, the maternity ward, and more. The participants even suited up, learning how to prep for surgery.
This initiative is especially timely, as the nation faces a critical nursing shortage; the Health Resources and Services Administration has projected national shortages through 2037.
The program also reflects Southern’s ongoing commitment to excellence. The School of Nursing was once again recognized as a College of Distinction for the 2025–26 academic year.
Southern Joins Global Leaders in Charting a Sustainable Future for Oceans
Southern Connecticut State University was represented at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, where global leaders, scientists, and practitioners gathered to advance sustainable ocean stewardship and climate resilience. Dr. Miriah Kelly, assistant professor of environmental science, and Suzie Huminski, sustainability coordinator, led the university contingent of faculty and student researchers.
As part of the delegation, Southern gained insights and connections that will shape future research and academic engagement. A highlight of the week was a visit aboard the OceanX vessel, co-led by Dr. Vincent Pieribone, professor of neuroscience at Southern. Participants observed cutting-edge technologies used to monitor ocean health, underscoring the importance of scientific innovation in addressing urgent environmental challenges.
Conference sessions also offered strategies for adaptation, from designing cities in the face of sea level rise to values-based coastal management. These approaches emphasized resilience, community well-being, and environmental health—principles closely aligned with Southern’s mission.
First TESOL Practicum Abroad in Colombia
Graduate students Mark Tomasino and Julie Pelland became the first participants in a faculty-led study abroad program in Pereira, Colombia, where they completed their practicum for Southern’s TESOL master’s program.
Accompanied by Dr. Angela López-Velásquez, professor of inclusive education and behavior science, the students engaged in hands-on teaching and cultural exchange, gaining invaluable professional and personal experience. This pioneering opportunity not only strengthened their skills as educators but also deepened Southern’s global connections in language learning and instruction.
Exploring Health and Longevity in Italy
Public health and psychology students traveled with Public Health Professor Jean Breny to Rome and Sardinia, Italy, to study the “Blue Zones” — regions of the world where people live significantly longer, healthier lives. The group explored how the Mediterranean diet and Italian lifestyle, epitomized by “la dolce vita,” might inspire healthier practices back home.
In Rome, students visited cultural landmarks while also attending a lecture on the Mediterranean diet’s health and environmental impacts. In Sardinia, they immersed themselves in local traditions—swimming, hiking, making pasta, and even sharing fresh ricotta with a shepherd after meeting his goats and sheep. The trip concluded with a day on the sea, cooking and enjoying the catch alongside local fishermen.
Students returned with lessons that extend beyond nutrition: community connection, daily movement, engagement with nature, and a strong sense of purpose—all valuable insights for promoting public health.
Designing Their Future
Rising high school juniors and seniors interested in graphic design engaged in an immersive five-week graphic design course, 2025 Summer Studio, led by co-founder Melanie Uribe, director of Summer Studio, and assistant professor of art and design at Southern. Founded by Connecticut designer DJ Haddad in partnership with AIGA Connecticut, Summer Studio equips high school students with hands-on experience in Adobe Creative Suite, weekly exposure to new design challenges, and access to college-level instruction — all at no cost to participants. Last year, 2024, was the first year that Summer Studio was held on Southern’s campus.
Uribe spoke to the program’s impact: “Make sure you praise yourself,” she told students at the final showcase. “The Summer Studio was a place to gain skills and create a portfolio, but it was also a small universe where students could practice being designers.”
Anthropology Students Dig into History
Southern anthropology students joined SCSU Anthropology Professor Kathleen Skoczen and Kevin Cootes, faculty member at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, for an excavation project in northwest England, working at sites spanning the Roman through Medieval periods. Students carefully uncovered artifacts that shed light on centuries of human history while honing archaeological skills in the field.
Among the highlights was a lighthearted moment when student Alyana Petroski unearthed what she jokingly described as a “rare 21st-century arrow”—playfully attributed to a band of invading anthropology students. Aside from a startled hare that darted away, the dig was all gain and no casualties.
Through this fieldwork, Southern students contributed to a deeper understanding of cultural heritage while building valuable professional experience.
National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions Collaboration
Southern faculty and students are advancing research on the ecological impacts of aquaculture in Iceland, where fish farming is rapidly expanding. The project, launched in 2022 by EGMS Professor Emma Cross and supported by EGMS Professor Patrick Heidkamp’s study abroad program, collects biodiversity and water quality data each summer.
In summer 2025, the work expanded through the Lindblad Expedition National Geographic Voyage, which invites scientists to sail, collect samples, and engage with expedition guests. Graduate students Katie Wagner, ’24, and Olivia Vallejo, ’25, traveled with Cross to Iceland and joined her at sea, navigating logistical challenges and unpredictable weather while extending sampling across western and eastern fjords. Wagner and Vallejo led water-collection techniques, while Cross demonstrated lab methods for guests. Along the way, they even connected with alumna Marylou Blakeslee, ’78, a naturalist, on board ship — proof that Southern’s reach extends far and wide.
Graduate students Katie Wagner and Olivia Vallejo joined EGMS Professor Emma Cross on the Lindblad Expedition National Geographic Voyage in Iceland, where they connected on board ship with SCSU alumna Marylou Blakeslee, ’78, a naturalist.
