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Scientist Sonya Schuh and 7 students in her lab, December 2022

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.

by Steven Boyd Saum and Kevin Wing | December 19, 2023

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.

 

 

Screenshot of Prof. Steve Woolpert talking with newscasters, March 2023
Talking politics: Steve Woolpert, right, brought expertise to Bay Area media outlets throughout the year.

Politics: Presidential Indictment, the Legacy of Dianne Feinstein, and Ethics and the Supreme Court

Steve Woolpert, Professor Emeritus of Politics, School of Liberal Arts

 

Provost Corey Cook talking to KTVU about Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2023
A remarkable life: Provost Corey Cook on the contributions of Sen. Dianne Feinstein

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

 

 

Panda and headline "US won't have any pandas for the first time in 50 years"
From CNN to NPR to Vox, media outlets tapped the expertise of E. Elena Songster on pandas and diplomacy.

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
 

 

 

Scientist Sonya Schuh in front of whiteboard with text
In the lab: Biologist Sonya Schuh tackled how toxins in beauty products for women of color is a matter of environmental justice. / Photo by Francis Tatem

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.
 

 

 

Business professor Manvendra Tabari and text, "What is the biggest misconception people have about annual percentage rates?"

Here’s How Annual Percentage Rates Really Work

Manvendra Tiwari, Assistant Professor of Finance, School of Economics and Business Administration

 

 

Michal Strahelovitz and text, "Guide to Money Management and Investing During a Recession"

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

 

 

Faculty member Meg Honey talks with KGO News in 2023
Learning loss: Faculty member and high school teacher Meg Honey brings hands-on insight into how the pandemic affected K–12 students.

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

 

 

Title of Matthew Zapruder's poem "My Grandmother's Dictionary" in The New Yorker in 2023

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.
 

 

 

Faculty member Manisha Anantharaman
Manisha Anantharaman / Photo by Francis Tatem

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
 

 

 

Faculty member Kenneth Worthy article headline: Run from the chatbots or embrace them?

Navigating the Chatbot Future

Kenneth Worthy, Adjunct Faculty, Justice, Community, and Leadership in the School of Liberal Arts

 

James McCauley
James McCauley / Photo by Francis Tatem

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

 

Current Sociology homepage

Sociologist of the Month

Zeynep Atalay, Associate Professor of Sociology, School of Liberal Arts 

 

Samantha Nofueira Joyce and Book Cover

 

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
 

 

 

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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.

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