Noteworthy: Research grants, awards and publications

ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 21, 2024) — The latest developments on University at Albany faculty and staff who are receiving research grants, awards and other noteworthy attention.

• Researchers at the New York State Mesonet published a new paper in Geophysical Research Letters that analyzes meteorological observations from the April 2024 total solar eclipse. The Mesonet network had 55 weather stations in the path of totality that were collecting data in real time.
• Marlene Belfort, distinguished professor and senior advisor of the RNA Institute, co-edited a special feature issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences dedicated to exploring RNA’s role in “rescuing” cells from the effects of stress. The issue included an article by Belfort titled “RNA dynamics in oxidative stress: From obscurity to mechanistic understanding in health and disease” and a paper coauthored by Tom Begley, distinguished professor of biological sciences, titled “Stress response regulation of mRNA translation: Implications for antioxidant enzyme expression in cancer.”
• Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Nathaniel Cady has received a 1-year, $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for his project, "I-Corps: Translation Potential of an Enhanced Fluorescence-based Diagnostic Technology for the Detection of Lyme Disease."
• Associate Professor of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Gregory Denbeaux has been sponsored by Hanyang University for a $264,000, 3-year award for his project, "Large-Area (300mm) Development of New EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) Dry Resist for Ultra-fine Patterning."
• Paolo Forni, associate professor of Biological Sciences also affiliated with the RNA Institute, was awarded $1.7 million from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to support his research on Kallmann syndrome, olfactory development and other forms of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This new funding will help advance understanding of how specific genetic mutations alter the development of the terminal nerve, the formation of the olfactory bulb and fertility.
• Gabriel Hetland, an associate professor in the Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies and faculty affiliate in the Department of Sociology, won a Marysa Navarro Best Book Prize 2024 Honorable Mention from the New England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS) for his book, Democracy on the Ground: Local Politics in Latin America’s Left Turn. Published by Columbia University Press in 2023, NECLAS describes the book as “an exemplary comparative study of the hemispheric challenges to democracy and the region’s manifold 'left turns' amidst the deepening of neoliberalism.”
• Professor of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Mengbing Huang has received a SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund award for his work developing a groundbreaking ion implantation cladding method for single-mode sapphire fibers. Huang's robust approach is set to elevate the field of optical sensing.
• Mary McCarthy, an instructor in the School of Social Welfare, received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Child Welfare from the Council on Social Work Education in recognition of her dedication to improving the lives of children and her deep history of accomplishments and service in the field of child welfare. McCarthy has served in a variety of teaching, advising and leadership positions at UAlbany’s School of Social Welfare since 1987. Improving the child welfare workforce, with a focus on embedding equity in child welfare agencies, has been a signature area of McCarthy’s work and research. 
• Ian Ross Singleton, a lecturer in the Writing and Critical Inquiry Program, recently published an English translation of the Russian poem, “Odesa Accent” by Galina Itskovich in The Nashville Review.
• Barbara Sutton, professor and chair of the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, has been selected for a Fulbright Specialist Award at the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil. The award will cover a 28-day stay next summer, during which time Sutton will provide her perspectives, research and leadership experience to the university as it implements a new gender equality policy. She will also collaborate with scholars, share work with faculty and students, meet with stakeholders and deliver public lectures about her research on gender issues from a transnational perspective. 
• Mehmet Yigit, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and the RNA Institute, coauthored a study titled “Universal CRISPR-Cas12a and Toehold RNA Cascade Reaction on Paper Substrate for Visual Salmonella Genome Detection” published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials. The study describes a new method for fast-acting salmonella detection which employs a paper test strip that changes color in the presence of the bacterial genome, enabling quick screening for salmonella in food products.