Friday, April 8, 5:30 P.M.
Shiu-Kai Chin, Ph.D., Professor
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Cybersecurity and Formal Methods
Shiu-Kai Chin’s research uses mathematical logic for the design and verification of trustworthy computer systems. Examples of computer systems that must be trustworthy are command and control systems, financial services, and distributed control of the power grid. His focus is on policy-based design and verification with an emphasis on using computer-assisted reasoning using higher-order logic theorem provers. Dr. Chin supports the Air Force’s research in trustworthy systems and hardware-based security. His work with JPMorgan Chase was used to reason about the security and integrity of credentials and entitlements in large-value commercial transactions.
Dr. Chin is active in the community where his leadership roles include: Finance Officer and member of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Board , the governing body of the Syracuse Airport; Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of WCNY Public Radio and Television, public broadcasting in Central New York; and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of InterFaith Works of Central New York, an organization dedicated to building common ground through dialog, understanding and collaboration among faith communities, and resettling and integrating refugee families into Central New York. Dr. Chin was also a Commissioner on the Onondaga County/City of Syracuse Human Rights Commission. For a decade, he was a trainer in the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) at Auburn Prison – a maximum security prison. AVP, which was founded after the Attica (NY) Prison riot in 1971, is an international, non-denominational program that teaches conflict resolution and communications skills. Dr. Chin was introduced to AVP by his undergraduate mentor and PhD advisor, Professor (emeritus) Edward Stabler, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University. Prof. Stabler was a founding member of AVP.
Saturday, April 9, 2:45 P.M.
Lisa Manning, Ph.D., Associate Professor
College of Arts and Sciences
Physics
Lisa Manning’s research interests include defects and deformation in granular materials and glasses and emergent mechanical properties and pattern formation in embryonic, cancer, and asthma tissues. A Sloan Research Fellow, Dr. Manning earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and B.S. degrees in physics and mathematics from the University of Virginia.
The Manning group uses theoretical and computational tools to understand collective motion in disordered, non-equilibrium “materials,” and takes a broad view of the word “materials.” The Manning group collaborates closely with experimental groups at Syracuse University and around the world to study how individual cells interact with each other to generate emergent macroscopic properties in developmental biology systems and in cell cultures on interesting substrates. The Manning group is also studying flow and plastic deformation in jammed and glassy non-biological solids, by identifying and analyzing the dynamics of “soft spots” or flow defects in these materials. Examples of glassy non-biological solids include bulk metallic glasses, emulsions, foams, granular materials, and many other materials that are important for industry and geology. By developing macroscopic equations to describe these materials, the group can better predict friction and failure in these solids.
Saturday, April 9, 5:30 P.M.
Jeffery A. Mangram, Ph.D., Associate Professor
School of Education
Social Studies Education
Jeffery Mangram received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Syracuse University. His research revolves around the question of how social studies teachers think about, negotiate, and use popular culture and media in their personal lives and in their pedagogical practices. He has published a number of articles concerning this area of research. He has published in the journal, Theory and Research in Social Education, the Journal of Instructional Research, and The Journal of Social Studies Research.
Having taught at public and private schools for over twenty-five years, Professor Mangram has been publicly recognized for his teaching prowess. In 2003, Dr. Mangram was a semi-finalist for the New York State Teacher of The Year Award. He was named outstanding Faculty in 2011 by the International Society for the Social Studies. As a master teacher and scholar, Dr. Mangram presents at conferences and workshops across the U.S., focusing on media education, high leverage pedagogical strategies, and issues related to urban education.
Additionally, Jeff is known for being a member of the 1987 Syracuse football team which went undefeated and played in the 1988 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sunday, April 10, 11:45 A.M.
Breagin K. Riley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Co-Director Whitman Behavioral Research Lab
Martin J. Whitman School of Management
Marketing, Affiliated Faculty of Psychology
Conducting and communicating research makes Breagin K. Riley very happy. She is assistant professor of marketing in the Whitman School of Management, co-director of the Whitman Behavioral Lab, and affiliated faculty in the Department of Psychology. Her interest in research started early. As young as 4 and throughout her elementary school years, Breagin was asking who, why, and how do you know? Never satisfied with the easy explanations, she conducted her own research to get proof and logical answers.
Breagin was raised in Atlanta, a city that conducted many education policy experiments, many of which she experienced firsthand. It bothered her that the people who thoughtfully designed and carefully implemented these policies were often (rarely pleasantly) surprised they had not worked as intended. After all, policy is intended to change, maintain, or create systems that promote human welfare. It is problematic when policies make people worse off.
Because she was unsure of why so many policies did not function as intended, Breagin studied the creation of national policy as an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Perhaps policy makers had bad intentions? But that was not the case. So, in graduate school at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, she focused on learning all she could about human behavior as well as various research philosophies and methods used to study it. These years of research exposure led Breagin to conclude that designing effective policies requires incorporating science from disparate fields to more holistically understand individual behavior. In her interdisciplinary research, she builds and test conceptual models. These models illuminate and explain the unknown and unintended consequences of fiscal, social, and managerial policy. Her recent papers examine how perceptions of fiscal policy impact consumption of status goods and the counterintuitive impact of social policy recommendations on extended warranty purchases. Additionally, Breagin teaches Consumer Behavior and Introduction to Marketing, mentors undergraduates who harbor research interests, and freely interjects research findings into the conversation.