Celebrate Exemplary Public Engagement

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 20, 2021) – Join the University community for an online conversation from 6-7 p.m. Monday, April 26, with last year’s recipients of the President's Awards for Exemplary Public Engagement.

From working to enhance education and literacy challenges in the Capital Region and conducting research and outreach on policy issues, to supporting area organizations in addressing real-world issues and highlighting international cultural collaborations, the awardees underscore the University’s commitment to public engagement. A representative from each of the award-winning initiatives will be on hand during the program to share a brief presentation about their projects and take questions from the audience.

Program host and Executive Director of the Office for Public Engagement Alfredo Medina, Jr. will be joined by special guests President Havidán Rodríguez and Provost Carol Kim.

Those presenting include:

• Bryan Early, associate dean for Research and associate professor, Department of Political Science, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, and director, the Project on International Security, Commerce, & Economic Statecraft (PISCES) Team, a team of experts dedicated to conducting research and outreach on policy issues that intersect the realms of economics and security  
• Wonhyung Lee, Smart and Connected Communities, School of Social Welfare (SSW) and College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, (CEAS), an initiative between experts from SSW and CEAS and their community partners that designs practical solutions for deploying resources consistent with the priorities of communities, particularly with regard to basic human needs such as food, housing and social support
• Youqin Huang, The Confucius Institute at the University at Albany, a non-profit educational collaboration between UAlbany and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China that provides Chinese language instruction and cultural programming
• Holly Barker-Flynn, UAlbany-RED Bookshelf Collaboration, a partnership between UAlbany and the nonprofit organization the RED Bookshelf that works to address literacy challenges for children in Albany by providing new and reconditioned books for youngsters’ home libraries.
• Jonathan Muckell, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Capstone Experience, CEAS, a full-year experiential learning opportunity through which students work with partners from community organizations and industry to design, prototype and test a system that solves a real-world problem for a local stakeholder
• Kelly Wissman, Capital District Writing Project. The project, in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning within the School of Education, is a community of K-college educators working to enhance the teaching of writing in Capital Region schools

The President’s Awards for Exemplary Public Engagement recognize individuals and University programs and units for outstanding achievement in public engagement through scholarship, research, teaching, experiential learning, creative activity and community service.