Andrea Nikischer, associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Social and Psychological Foundations of Education and Adult Education, received a 2022 SUNY Online Effective Practice Award for her effective practice, Universal Design for Trauma. The Effective Practice Awards were presented during the annual SUNY Online Summit on February 28.

Carlos Jones, associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and coordinator of the Africana studies program, co-edited the book Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in the Twenty-First Century (University Press of Florida, February 2022). The book explores the long-overdue recognition of jazz dance as a historically Black American art form.

Rooted Jazz Dance brings together jazz dance scholars, practitioners, choreographers, and educators from across the United States and Canada with the goal of changing the course of practice in future generations. Contributors delve into the Africanist elements within jazz dance and discuss the role of Whiteness, including Eurocentric technique and ideology, in marginalizing African American vernacular dance, which has resulted in the prominence of Eurocentric jazz styles and the systemic erosion of the roots. 

Jones’s co-editors were Lindsay Guarino, associate professor of dance and chair of the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island; and Wendy Oliver, professor of dance and chair of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. The publisher promoted Rooted Jazz Dance as a Black History Month selection.

Jones’s research for the book ties into another project, the musical American Rhapsody, currently on stage at MusicalFare Theatre through March 27. Jones served as the director and script consultant on the story of two piano players, one a White classical pianist and one a Black jazz pianist, and their riveting discussion of the historical erasure of African American music and dance on Rhapsody in Blue, a seminal work of George Gershwin’s.

John Abromeit, professor of history and social studies education, recently published the article "The Concept of Pseudo-Conservatism as a Link Between The Authoritarian Personality and Early Critical Theory," in Polity, the journal of the Northeastern Political Science Association 54 (1): 29–58.

Sourav Biswas, assistant professor of chemistry, joined Frontiers in Chemistry as an associate editor and will be reviewing manuscripts in the field of catalytic reactions and chemistry.

Jonathan Seinen, assistant professor of theater, has directed and produced Iphigenia and the Furies (On Taurian Land) by Ho Ka Kei, that will be streamed online February 23-26. Filmed at Toronto's storied Theatre Passe Murialle this past January, it won the Toronto Critic's Circle Award for Best New Canadian Play. This adaptation of a classic Greek play by Euripides unapologetically transforms a myth from the ancient past into a quick-witted, genre-bending theatrical experience, demanding that a young generation write a new narrative for our times. Tickets are available online and viewing links will be sent via email.

Additionally, Seinen co-wrote Access Me by the Boys In Chairs Collective, published in the just-released anthology Interdependent Magic: Disability Performance in Canada by Playwrights Canada Press. This new play shares stories at the intersection of disability and gay/queer sexuality. More information can be found on the Playwrights Canada Press website.

Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, published the article “Religion, Psychological Strain, and Suicidality in China: A Preliminary Study” in OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying Online. The article’s coauthors were Bob Lew, Yanzheng Liu, Ksenia Chistopolskaya, and Sibo Zhao. Dr. Zhao was a visiting scholar to Buffalo State in 2010–2011.

Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, published the article “Changes and Explanations of Suicide Rates in China by Province and Gender over the Past Three Decades” in the Journal of Affective Disorders 299:470-474. The article’s coauthors were  Juncheng Lyu, Weiwei Sun, and Lijun Wang.

Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, published the article “Individualism and Collectivism Orientation and the Correlates Among Chinese College Students” in Current Psychology 2021. It was also previously published online on April 17, 2021:1-7. The article’s coauthor was Tingting Han.

Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, published the article "Risk Assessment on Suicide Death and Attempt among Chinese Rural Youths Aged 15-34 Years" in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (24):13362. The article’s coauthors were Sibo Zhao, Lisu Peng, and Wenhui Yang. Sibo Zhao was a visiting scholar at Buffalo State College during the 2010–2011 academic year.

Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, published the article "Mental Health Outcomes among Chinese College Students over a Decade" in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (23):12742. The article’s coauthors were Sibo Zhao, Lisu Peng, and Wenhui Yang. Sibo Zhao was a visiting scholar at Buffalo State College during the 2010–2011 academic year.