New insights: James Pesavento, center, with SMC students in the lab. His work together with a colleague and student led to a new paper that revealed a previously unseen molecular signature of how algal genomes are controlled. / Photo by Francis Tatem
Saint Mary’s Thought Leaders in 2024: Groundbreaking Research in the Lab and the Field, Politics Across the Country, and the Story of a Poem
Highlights from 18 scholars, scientists, and writers whose research and creative work shaped conversations locally, regionally, and nationally
Saint Mary’s educators bring their broad knowledge and deep expertise to classroom lectures and discussions. They also provide insights and analysis for national and local media, bring poetry and research before peers and global audiences, and convene conversations for the wider public on the page and in person.
Here are some highlights from 2024 from 18 scholars and staff at Saint Mary’s. You’ll find analysis of the breathtaking year on the political stage, awards and recognition in scientific research, and insights on the changing economy. There is testimony about freedom of religion in prison, the value of faith in sports, and the origins of modern love. You’ll also find the return of pandas to U.S. shores, sociologists putting some context on what we consider “sinful,” and discussions with a Pulitzer-winning journalist and Oscar-winning filmmaker from Ukraine.
This story is one of a three-part series. Be sure to check out the top stories from Saint Mary’s 2024 and Saint Mary’s in the News highlights from this year. For the latest updates on all things Gael, check out the SMC NewsCenter.
A nod from the National Book Critics Circle, a new volume of poetry, and writers on Taylor Swift
Matthew Zapruder, Associate Professor in the Saint Mary's MFA Program in Creative Writing and English Department
- January 25, 2024: | Publishers Weekly
- September 5, 2024: ’&Բ;| San Francisco Chronicle
- November 17, 2024: | The Atlantic
- November 26, 2024: | Parade Magazine
Awards and recognition for three women leading in science
Sonya Schuh, Associate Professor of Biology, School of Science
- October 2024: , recognizing a scientist who has made great impact on science in academia and industry and mentored women for more than 10 years | Association for Women in Science, Northern California Chapter
Alice Baldridge, Associate Dean of the School of Science
- August 2024: receives funding for ‘Planetary Analog Field Science Experiences for Undergraduates: Advancing Fundamental Research and Testing Field Instrument Operations’ | NASA News
Amy Chu, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, School of Science
- September 2024: Amy Chu Receives an Award from the National Science Foundation for ‘LEAPS-MPS: Synthesis and Binding Thermodynamics of Three-fold Symmetric Organometallic Receptors for Inorganic Phosphates.’ It will fund research with students on capturing and possibly recycling phosphates in waterways. | National Science Foundation
An intense year in politics: the presidential debate, the rise of Kamala Harris, San Francisco’s mayoral election, and more
Corey Cook, Professor of Politics
Here’s a sampling of the dozens of television interviews and news stories tapping Cook’s expertise on politics in the San Francisco Bay area, in California, and on the national stage.
- June 27, 2024: | KTVU FOX 2
- July 16, 2024: | CalMatters
- September 13, 2024: | San Francisco Examiner
- August 12, 2024: | The Atlantic
- November 6, 2024: | KTVU FOX 2
Putting California poll numbers in context—and changing realities in age in the workforce
Michal Strahilevitz, Professor of Marketing and Director of the Elfenworks Center for Responsible Business, School of Economics and Business Administration
- February 14, 2024: | Travelbinger
- February 27, 2024: | Newsweek
- June 2024: | Korn Ferry Briefings
The politics of pandas—and their return to zoos in the United States
E. Elena Songster, Associate Professor of History, School of Liberal Arts
Author of “Panda Nation: The Construction and Conservation of China’s Modern Icon”
- February 11, 2024: | San Diego Union-Tribune
- February 23, 2024: ’ | NPR
- July 5, 2024: | Science Friday
- August 28, 2024: | E&E News by Politico
How our surroundings shape our behavior—and perceptions of what’s not okay
Nicole M. Brown, Associate Professor of Sociology, School of Liberal Arts
Author of “We Are Each Other's Business: Black Women's Intersectional Political Consumerism During the Chicago Welfare Rights Movement”
- September 23, 2024: ’&Բ;| Economic Sociology & Political Economy
- November 18, 2024: | Wallethub
Groundbreaking research in gene expression that began with student and faculty collaboration
Jim Pesavento, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Biology, School of Science
- October 23, 2024: Ѱ’s&Բ; | Phys.org
- October 24, 2024: | AZO Life Sciences
Enforcing religious freedom in prison
Barbara McGraw, Director of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism and Professor of Social Ethics, Law, and Public Life in the School of Economics and Business Administration
- May 17, 2024: | US Commission on Civil Rights
Ideology and intolerance in our present age
Robert Bulman, Professor of Sociology
- July 11, 2024: Opinion: | Newsweek
- August 8, 2024: Opinion: | Newsweek
The origins of modern love
Veronica Hefner, Associate Professor and Graduate Director of Communication, School of Liberal Arts
- February 15, 2024: | NPR
Nurturing mental resilience and the benefits of spirituality among student-athletes
Mary Volmer, Athletics Mission & Ministry Fellow
- September 6, 2024: | Diablo Magazine
Instagram and faith
Porsia Tunzi ’12, Adjunct Faculty
- July 12, 2024: | National Catholic Reporter
Poetry and creating a sense of belonging
Jyoti Bachani, Professor of Management & Entrepreneurship, School of Economics and Business Administration
- November 6, 2024: | India Currents
An ominous Supreme Court decision
Steve Woolpert, Professor Emeritus of Politics
- October 3, 2024: | The Mercury News
Hosting conversations with the nation’s premier public affairs forum on Ukraine, Afghanistan, the rise of autocracy, free speech on campus, and more
Steven Boyd Saum, Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Content
The longtime host and former editor-in-chief for Commonwealth Club World Affairs held conversations for live audiences and broadcast in the Bay Area that included:
- January 2024: | Commonwealth Club World Affairs
- February 2024: | Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California
- July 2024: | Commonwealth Club World Affairs
- September 2024: | Commonwealth Club World Affairs
- October 2024: | Commonwealth Club World Affairs
