Queens, New York, February 8, 2021 – Queens College faculty have long been resources for media and have acted as consultants worldwide, lending their expertise to efforts that address real-world problems. Now, a new online video series, “Big Ideas at Queens College,” will spotlight faculty research through in-depth interviews. The series, conceived by Queens College President Frank H. Wu, will introduce viewers to faculty members who are conducting a wide range of research on such impactful topics as addressing racial disproportionality in special education; monitoring COVID-19 in New York City’s wastewater; exploring the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on maternal health; studying historic climate trends to predict future hazards; and more.
A trailer for the new series, which premieres on Thursday, February 11, is available here. Season one episodes will air on Thursdays at 7 pm through May 6 — with the exception of April 1 — on the college’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
“Here at Queens College, our faculty are at the forefront of creating knowledge of great importance to our community and to society,” said Wu. “In our new series, ‘Big Ideas at Queens College,’ we are highlighting outstanding educators and their amazing research. Our vision for the project was to create a means to communicate this work to a worldwide audience — it presents opportunities to engage other researchers, spurring the development of new collaborations; inspires bright young minds to pursue a course of study with these professors; and provides local and global communities with an understanding of why the work we do at Queens College is so vital to the greater good.”
Upcoming episodes will feature:
Professor Lenwood Gibson, special education, School of Education, discusses combating racial disproportionality in special education
Professor John Dennehy, biology, School of Math and Natural Sciences, discusses his project monitoring the presence of SARS coronavirus in NYC wastewater
Professor Yoko Nomura, psychology, School of Math and Natural Sciences, discusses how the health of mothers plays a major role in the overall health of children, and further, how disparities in the health of expectant mothers infected with COVID-19 are based on racial and socioeconomic categories
Isabel Cuervo, psychology, School of Math and Natural Sciences, discusses involving domestic cleaners in a study of their workplace hazards
Professor Francesc Ortega, economics, School of Social Sciences, discusses estimating and quantifying the importance of undocumented workers to the U.S. economy
Professor Daniel Kaufman, linguistics, School of Arts and Humanities, discusses his project documenting and preserving the world’s endangered languages
Professor Natalie Bump Vena, urban studies, School of Social Sciences, discusses how the aging NYC infrastructure will continue to deteriorate and cause more damage to those who face environmental racism
Professor Maral Tajerian, biology, School of Math and Natural Sciences, discusses understanding the limits of brain plasticity as it relates to pain
Professor Sebastian Alvarado, biology, School of Math and Natural Sciences, discusses how epigenetic processes and molecular plasticity contribute to evolution via a dialogue between genes and the environment
Professor Stephen Pekar, earth and environmental sciences, School of Math and Natural Sciences, in a special Earth Day presentation, discusses understanding our future by studying past climate change
Professor Desiree Byrd, psychology, School of Math and Natural Sciences, discusses the importance of diverse representation in psychological studies
Ying Zhou, executive director, Tech Incubator at Queens College, discusses how the incubator helps accelerate the economic development of Queens and New York City by building a collaborative ecosystem to support entrepreneurs seeking to develop sustainable ventures.
About Queens College
Queens College produces more education graduates who become principals, teachers, and counselors for the city’s public schools than any other college in the metropolitan area. The college contributes to the local talent pool as a powerful economic engine and a leader in tech education. Students from across the country and around the world are attracted to study at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Its renowned faculty and alumni include nationally recognized composers, conductors, and performers who have received over 100 Grammy Awards and nominations.
Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, and research and internship opportunities, the college helps its more than 20,000 students realize their potential in countless ways, assisted by an accessible, award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful, 80-acre campus in Flushing, the college has been cited by Princeton Review as one of America’s Best Value Colleges every year since the title’s inception, as well as being ranked a U.S. News and World Report Best College and Forbes Magazine Best Value College thanks to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages, and relatively low costs. Visit our homepage to learn more.
For more about Queens college, visit http://www.qc.cuny.edu/Pages/home.aspx
Contact:
Maria Matteo
Associate Director, Media and College Relations
718-997-5593
maria.matteo@qc.cuny.edu