Joe Salvatore and Pedro Noguera Awarded NYU’s MLK Faculty Award

Joe Salvatore and Pedro Noguera have been awarded NYU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award. The award is presented annually to five faculty members at NYU who exemplify King’s spirit through their teaching, public service, leadership, and community-building activities.

Salvatore, a clinical assistant professor of educational theatre in Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, was recognized for his leadership as a faculty fellow in residence at NYU’s 3rd North Residence Hall.   Among the programs Salvatore has instituted for students living in the dorm:  HIV/AIDS education, bullying awareness, and ‘Pay Attention,’ a campaign, which challenges residents to take action against hate speech.  “The programs Joe Salvatore has created have not only created a safe space for LGBT members of the community, but have challenged and motivated us to take action to fight against discrimination,” wrote a 3rd North resident in his nomination letter.

Noguera, Steinhardt’s Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, was recognized for advocating for educational equity on behalf of the urban poor and for conveying his “insight, knowledge, and passion” for educational reform to his students. A professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Noguera has served as an advisor and engaged in collaborative research with several large urban school districts throughout the United States.  He is the author of City Schools and the American Dream and co-editor of Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. “If it could be mandatory for every student of every race to take Pedro Noguera’s class, the schools would be better for it,” wrote an NYU student nominating his professor for the award.

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award is sponsored by NYU’s Office of the Provost in partnership with the Assistant Vice President for Diversity.

 

Posted by Debra Weinstein on February 9, 2012 6:37 pm | |

Gran Fury’s AIDS Activist Art Opens at Steinhardt’s 80WSE Galleries

NYU Steinhardt is proud to announce the opening of “Gran Fury: Read My Lips,” the first comprehensive exhibition documenting the work of Gran Fury, the influential AIDS activist arts collective. Gran Fury’s work raised public awareness of AIDS, put pressure on politicians, and opened up a broader spectrum of understanding about the political and collective art practices that flourished in downtown New York during the 1980s and 1990s.

Showing at 80 Washington Square East, the exhibition opens Jan. 31, runs through March 17, and is free and open to the public. Curated by Gran Fury and Michael Cohen, assistant director of 80WSE Galleries, the exhibition consists of 15 pieces including the group’s most important public works, “Kissing Doesn’t Kill,” “Welcome to America,” and “Women Don’t Get AIDS,” that will be reproduced in large-scale mural formats.

Gran Fury — named for the model of Plymouth automobile used by the New York City Police Department — brought public awareness to the AIDS epidemic, and through bold, iconic imagery and design, brought the gay and lesbian community into mainstream consciousness.

The exhibition on display at 80 WSE conveys the collective’s unique voice across a wide variety of media, including billboards, postcards, video, posters, and painting that helped to convey the urgency of the early AIDS crisis and led many into the streets to demand reforms that changed public policy and saved lives.

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 30, 2012 11:09 am | |

Institute for Human Development and Social Change Awarded $828,000 MacArthur Grant to Study Digital Learning

Research suggests that many students feel alienated from school activities and are at risk for low levels of educational attainment. But other studies offer more encouraging news. They indicate that complementing schooling through programs that occur in informal learning spaces or those educational experiences that cultivate youth’s specialized interests can improve educational outcomes and student attitudes towards school.

Organizations that have implemented such programs include cultural institutions and two schools—one each in New York City and Chicago—that use innovative curricula such as game design and digital learning to enhance young people’s interests, community awareness, and attempt to shape their educational outcomes.

“The schools are pioneering a systems-thinking and game design approach to learning,” said Richard Arum, professor of sociology and education, and director of the Institute for Human Development and Social Change. “Both the schools and out-of-school programs have developed innovative ways for students to learn and hope to develop competencies, skills, and dispositions aligned with educational achievement and future success in an increasingly globalized and technology-based society.”

Funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, will enable Arum and his colleagues will explore how these programs are implemented and whether participation changes the behaviors and attitudes youth exhibit towards schooling and digital media use.

Among the questions the researchers will ask are: How do participants’ attitudes, behaviors, and competencies in the area of digital technology and learning change over time? How do these changes vary with respect to student characteristics? How do educators understand and implement these innovative programs?

This study will be conducted by researchers from NYU, the University of Chicago, and the University of California, Irvine. It is taking place from January 2012 through July 2013, under a total grant of $828,500 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

(Photo: Richard Arum, professor of sociology and education in Steinhardt’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions.)

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 27, 2012 9:44 am | |

Steinhardt in the News: Christy Spackman on Mormons, Jell-O, and Homemade Yogurt

Christy Spackman, a doctoral student in Steinhardt’s food studies program, gave the New York Times historical context on Mormon cooking for the article, Not Just for Sundays: A New Generation Defines Mormon Cuisine.

Spackman told Times writer Julia Moskin that in her Brooklyn congregation, homemade yogurt and grapefruit curd are recipes that are commonly shared today. Convenience foods like canned fruit, instant potatoes, and Jell-O were standard fare for most family meals in the 1960s.

Learn more about Steinhardt’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health.

(Photo from Christy Spackman’s online article, Beyond Jell-O Salads).

 

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 27, 2012 9:17 am | |

Steinhardt Abroad: NYU Madrigal Singers and Jazz Choir Perform in the United Arab Emirates

NYU’s Madrigal Singers and Jazz Choir shared their voices and music with students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a series of performances in January. Invited to the UAE by United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) associate professor James Mirrione, the ensembles performed in Al Ain, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, and gave concerts at UAEU and the Bawadi Mall in Al Ain, the American University at Sharjah, and at NYU Abu Dhabi.

“The purpose of the visit was to expose Mirrione’s students — both women and men on separate campuses — to different genres of choral singing,” said Nancy Shankman, adjunct assistant professor and graduate adviser in the Music Education Program in NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

The Madrigal Singers performed eight songs in five languages, including traditional madrigals (secular songs from the renaissance) and current selections such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” while the Jazz Choir sang seven songs, including “Penny Lane” and “Pass Me the Jazz.”

Although the ensembles kept busy during their visit with a total of nine performances, there was plenty of opportunity for sightseeing and exploring the emirates. “I loved visiting the UAE,” said Karen Chalif, a junior in Music Education at Steinhardt and a member of the Jazz Choir. “Clearly, it has some amazing sites, such as the Grand Mosque and the Burj Khalifa, but the biggest thing I will take away from this trip is the understanding of Arab culture that I now possess.”

For Marie Ortinau, a senior in Music Education at Steinhardt and a member of the Madrigal Singers who “had been looking forward to seeing NYU Abu Dhabi since the first rumors of our trip to the UAE,” the visit offered a glimpse of Abu Dhabi in contrast with its neighbor of Al Ain.

“After days of traveling around the perceptibly more traditional city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi felt very different, and very exciting! The energy, prowess, and attitude of the city was invigorating in the way that only such a visionary young country could display,” said Ortinau. “Seeing the individual students at NYUAD in this forward-thinking environment helps me to see a wealth of possibilities and opportunities for anyone daring enough to take on this adventure.”

“Meeting students at all three campuses who come from different cultures and backgrounds was an amazing and inspiring experience,” said Shankman. “Students are the same the world over — eager to share their worlds with one another and develop new and lasting friendships.”

(This article, written by Sallie Isobel Moffat, has been adapted for Steinhardt’s At a Glance Blog. Read this on Salaam, the NYU Abu Dhabi blog.)

 

 

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 26, 2012 9:46 am | |

At NYU Steinhardt, $4.5 Million NSF Grant Supports Improving Science Instruction for English Language Learners

More than 41 percent of New York City students report speaking a language other than English at home. According to the New York City Department of Education, 154,466 students are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs), roughly equivalent to the population of Salem, Oregon. As New York City seeks to produce the next generation of innovators in its quest to become a scientific and technological hub, ensuring quality science instruction and assessment at the K-12 level is critical, especially for the growing population; ELLs in the city and nationally.

“English Language Learners often do not receive science instruction due to the perceived urgency of developing literacy and numeracy skills; and when science is not tested, it tends to be ignored,” said Okhee Lee, a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning , and recent recipient of a $4.5- million National Science Foundation grant dedicated to the study of improving science achievement among ELLs. “This phenomenon is prevalent in those states when science is not part of accountability policies, and in urban and rural schools where racial and ethnic minorities, who have traditionally been underserved in the education system, are the majority.”

Lee, whose native language is Korean, and her NYU Steinhardt colleagues, Lorena Llosa and Susan Kirch, manage the NSF-funded project titled, “Promoting Science among English Language Learners (P-SELL) Scale-Up.” The four-year study will address science standards and assessment for fifth graders looking closely at science curriculum and ways to enhance teachers’ science knowledge, teaching practices, and instructional resources in order to improve science achievement of all students, especially ELLs. The study will also address how science instruction supports English language learning of ELLs.

The study will examine 64 elementary schools from Florida school districts in Jacksonville, Fort Meyers, and Orlando. According to the Florida Department of Education, Florida ELLs total more than 260,000 and surpass most states in the nation. The state is ranked third in ELL population with a total of 300 different languages spoken.

Half of the participating schools will receive the P-SELL intervention that includes specialized science curriculum and teacher professional development, whereas the remaining half will use the district-adopted science curriculum. The results can potentially serve as a prototype for new science standards in Florida and across the nation.

“Professor Lee’s research can help New York implement similar intervention models or adopt our own policies so that our teachers can better educate the diverse learners of our state,” said Steinhardt School Dean Mary Brabeck. “This project could potentially provide pathways to equitable learning, narrow the achievement gap, measure teacher effectiveness, and meet national efforts to keep all students academically competitive.”

“P-SELL” is currently underway and expected to conclude by the summer of 2015.

(Photo: Okhee Lee, professor of childhood education at NYU Steinhardt)

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 24, 2012 9:42 am | |

Steinhardt in the News: danah boyd on the online life of teenagers

danah boyd is “a kind of rock star emissary from the online and offline world of teenagers,” writes Pamela Paul in a New York Times profile. Boyd, who advocates for teenagers freedom to explore the Internet is an assistant professor in Steinhardt’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. She is the co-author of Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media (MIT Press, 2009).

Read Cracking Teenagers’ Online Codes.

(Photo: Matt DiGirolamo, New York Times.)

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 24, 2012 8:34 am | |

Steinhardt in the News: Liel Leibovitz on Why SOPA is Bad Business

Last month Liel Leibovitz, a visiting assistant professor in Steinhardt’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, was interviewed on Al Jazeera English about the Stop Online Piracy Act.

Lieboitz is the co-author of The Chosen Peoples: America, Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election (Simon and Schuster, 2010), as well as a contributor to the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic Monthly, Dissent, and Tablet.



Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 19, 2012 9:40 am | |

Cyber Crime Panel to Feature Senator Gillibrand, Helen Nissenbaum of NYU Steinhardt, and FBI and Facebook Reps

New York University’s Institute for Public Knowledge will host a roundtable discussion on cyber crime, featuring U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Steinhardt Professor Helen Nissenbaum, and representatives from Facebook and the FBI, on Mon., Jan. 23, 8-10 a.m. at NYU’s Kimmel Center for University Life, Eisner and Lubin Auditorium, 4th Floor, 60 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Pl.).

The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP (required), click here. Photo ID required for entry.

The discussion is co-sponsored by the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City and the Institute for Public Knowledge.

Cyber crime is a growing concern for law enforcement, corporations, and individuals, with its costs reaching billions of dollars annually. Each data breach costs American businesses an average of $6.6 million, and every hour, the FBI processes 35 cases through the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The panel will address the policy and law enforcement challenges from a broad perspective as well as the unique issues facing social media sites and users.

Panelists will be introduced by NYU President John Sexton, and the session will be moderated by Crime Commission President Richard Aborn.

Panelists include: U.S. Senator Gillibrand; Associate General Counsel of Facebook, Chris Sonderby; FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Cyber/Special Operations Division, Mary Galligan; and Nissenbaum, a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication and senior faculty fellow at the Information Law Institute.

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 19, 2012 9:16 am | |

Nutrition Student Receives Grant to Study If Variation in Diet Yields Less Body Fat

Maya Vadiveloo, a graduate student in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, has been awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) FDA Summer 2011 Predoctoral Fellowship.

The $44,000 AHA award is for a project titled, Associations Between Dietary Variety and Body Adiposity Using a Novel Scoring Method. Under the supervision of Niyati Parekh, an assistant professor and nutritional epidemiologist at NYU Steinhardt, Vadiveloo will design and test a new dietary variety scoring method that seeks to measure the healthfulness of diet, as well as the relationship between dietary variety and body fat in adults.

(Photo: Maya Vadiveloo.)

 

 

Posted by Debra Weinstein on January 17, 2012 8:47 am | |