Tracing toxins: Associate Professor of Biology Sonya Schuh, third from left, works with students in her lab to study the dangers of chemicals used in everyday products. / Photo by Francis Tatem
Saint Mary’s Thought Leaders in 2023: Expert Insight on Subjects Ranging from Politics to Pandas, from Poetry to Environmental Justice
A few of the scholars, scientists, and writers whose research and creative work made media headlines during the year.
Saint Mary’s educators are well known for bringing their research and scholarship to the classroom, creating a vibrant learning community for undergraduates and graduate students alike. In 2023, SMC faculty and leaders were also tapped by numerous news outlets and publications for their expertise and creative work.
Here are some highlights from the past year from more than a dozen Saint Mary’s scholars. You’ll find insights on the unprecedented turmoil on the national political stage, shifts in global diplomacy, advice on grappling with today’s economy, and warnings about harmful chemicals used in beauty products. You’ll also find poetry, expert analysis of psychology studies, and insight by an educator into why K-12 students haven’t recovered from the pandemic-era learning slump.
This story is one of a three-part series. Be sure to check out the top stories from Saint Mary’s 2023 and Saint Mary’s in the News highlights from this year. For the latest updates on all things Gael, check out the SMC NewsCenter.
Politics: Presidential Indictment, the Legacy of Dianne Feinstein, and Ethics and the Supreme Court
Steve Woolpert, Professor Emeritus of Politics, School of Liberal Arts
- March 21, 2023: | KTVU Television
- September 29, 2023: | KTVU Television
- November 13, 2023: | KCBS Radio
Politics: Showhorses and Workhorses in Congress, Turmoil in the House, and Prospects for the San Francisco Mayoral Election
Corey Cook, Executive Vice President and Provost
- September 29, 2023: WATCH | KTVU TV
- September 29, 2023: | KTVU
- October 18, 2023: | KTVU Mornings on 2
- October 30, 2023: | San Francisco Chronicle
Panda Diplomacy: As China Takes Back Its Pandas from the United States, Is This the End of an Era?
E. Elena Songster, Associate Professor of History, School of Liberal Arts
Author of Panda Nation: The Construction and Conservation of China's Modern Icon
- April 27, 2023: | CNN
- May 23, 2023: | ThinkChina
- September 28, 2023: | Bloomberg News
- September 27, 2023: | Slate.com
- October 20, 2023: | Scripps News
- November 7, 2023: | NPR
- Nov 13, 2023: | “Today, Explained” on Vox
- Nov 9, 2023: | Radio Canada
- Nov 8, 2023: | Politico
- Nov 3, 2023: | Washingtonian Magazine
Environmental Justice and Tracking the Hidden toxins in Everyday Consumer Goods
Sonya Schuh, Associate Professor of Biology, School of Science
Her research on toxins in personal care products has been featured in an HBO documentary and is set to be featured in additional upcoming documentary projects.
- February 28, 2023: The ‘Environmental Injustice of Beauty’: The Role That Pressure to Conform Plays In Use of Harmful Hair, Skin Products Among Women of Color | Inside Climate News
- May 8, 2023: | Diablo Magazine
Here’s How Annual Percentage Rates Really Work
Manvendra Tiwari, Assistant Professor of Finance, School of Economics and Business Administration
- August 8, 2023: | WalletHub
Expert Insight on Saving and Investing During a Recession
Michal Strahilevitz, Professor of Marketing and Director of the Elfenworks Center for Responsible Business, School of Economics and Business Administration
- October 21, 2023: | Moneygeek.com
Why Haven't Students Recovered from the Pandemic Era Learning Slump?
Meg Honey, Adjunct Associate Professor, Kalmanovitz School of Education, and full-time high school teacher at Northgate High School
- July 11, 2023: — A Conversation with Meg Honey | ABC 7 News
- July 11, 2023: | KCBS Radio
Poetry in the New Yorker. And ChatGPT is no poet.
Matthew Zapruder, Associate Professor in the Saint Mary's MFA Program in Creative Writing and English Department
Author of five collections of poetry, most recently Father’s Day (Copper Canyon, 2019), as well as two books of prose: Why Poetry (Ecco, 2017) and Story of a Poem (Unnamed, 2023). He has held the annually rotating position of Editor of the Poetry Column for the New York Times Magazine, and was the Editor of Best American Poetry 2022.
- April 6, 2023: | Motherboard — Tech by Vice.com
- July 24, 2023: | LitReactor
- August 14, 2023: | The New Yorker
Highlighting the World’s Waste Issues
Manisha Anantharaman, Associate Professor of Justice, Community, and Leadership in the School of Liberal Arts
Author of Recycling Class: The Contradictions of Inclusion in Urban Sustainability, forthcoming from MIT Press in January 2024
- May 26, 2023: | India Education Diary
Navigating the Chatbot Future
Kenneth Worthy, Adjunct Faculty, Justice, Community, and Leadership in the School of Liberal Arts
- October 30, 2023: | Times Higher Education
Findings Indicate That Clinicians Who Treat Autistic Youth and Adults Should Pay Close Attention to Sleep, Activity Levels, and Diet
James McCauley, Assistant Professor of Psychology, School of Science
- August 8, 2023: | Spectrum News
Sociologist of the Month
Zeynep Atalay, Associate Professor of Sociology, School of Liberal Arts
- June 2023: | Current Sociology
Representations of Blackness on Brazilian TV
Samantha Nogueira Joyce, Brazilian journalist and Associate Professor of Global Communication in the School of Liberal Arts
Author of Afro-Brazilians in Telenovelas: Social, Political, and Economic Realities
- May 22, 2023: | New Books Network
Want to support Saint Mary’s longstanding mission of high-caliber education that is accessible for all? GIVE TODAY.
Steven Boyd Saum is Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Content, and Kevin Wing is Director of Media Relations and News at Saint Mary’s. Write them.