Suffolk Reporter

More than 20 projects have been awarded grants through the Faculty in the Arts, Humanities and Lettered Social Sciences (FAHSS) program to support research and special initiatives. These awards aim to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty members from various departments within the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the Lichtenstein Center.

The FAHSS program is funded by multiple university offices, including the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Office of the Dean of CAS. Janet Ward, associate provost for arts, humanities and social sciences, emphasized the importance of these grants: “The FAHSS grants support SBU faculty as they initiate bold projects on culture and society, endeavors that deepen our understanding of the past and present, and help change people’s lives for the better.”

A total of 22 projects were selected from over 30 applications this year. Among them are initiatives exploring a wide range of topics such as art installations intersecting with sound technology led by Esteban Agosin; an examination of ancient manuscripts in Turkey by Rosabel Ansari; and Brooke Belisle's research on astronomical imaging at London's Royal Astronomical Society.

Other notable projects include a series examining Caribbean studies trends led by Lena Burgos-Lafuente and colleagues; Robert Chase's research into historical roles played by sheriffs; Alix Cooper's translation project; Ana Cortés Lagos' study on vaccine rhetoric in Chile; Thomas Graf's hosting of a mathematics conference; Joeva Sean Rock's exploration into food insecurity solutions in Africa; Jason Jeffrey Jones' analysis of artificial intelligence attitudes; Angela Jones' book on sex and sexuality societal impacts; Sandra So Hee Chi Kim's Korean culture study using "trans-indigenous analytic"; Shirley Jennifer Lim's biography project on Anna May Wong; Fernando Loffredo's fieldwork in the Philippines; April Masten's book on jig-dancers in pre-Civil War America; Douglas Pfeiffer’s Renaissance text comparisons in England; Benedict Robinson’s interdisciplinary fictionality discussions with Richard Gerrig.

Margaret Schedel will perform in Australia exploring music through fabric, while Christopher Sellers examines environmental issues in Texas with Yongjun Zhang and Mark Chambers. Laura Thompson’s team plans a symposium about June Jordan at Stony Brook. Ken Weitzman aims to document his theatrical work "The Happiness Gym," while Neisha Terry Young explores immigrant narratives on digital platforms.

These diverse projects illustrate how FAHSS grants foster creativity across disciplines while enhancing understanding of cultural phenomena.