2026 Achievements

Victoria Udondian, visiting associate professor in the Department of Art, has been invited to the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia by Koyo Kouoh (May 5 - Nov. 22), the FITE Textile Biennial in France (July 1 - Jan. 10, 27) and the Medina Triennial (June 6 - Sept. 7), which is a new Triennial that will debut in Western New York this summer.

George Afedzi Hughes, associate professor in the Department of Art, is taking part in the exhibition, "More Than A Match: Art of the Game." The exhibition is in commemoration of the FIFA World Cup and features 38 works by nearly 20 artists around the world. Art of the Game features such artists such as Andy Warhol, Kehinde Wiley, Hank Willis Thomas, Peter Phillips, George Afedzi Hughes, Darío Escobar, Juno Calypso, Felipe Barbosa, with selected works from the National Football Museum Collection. The exhibition is currently on display at Arlington Museum of Art in Arlington, Texas until Aug. 2.

Kari Winter, professor in the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies, was appointed to the Scholars’ Advisory Council of the National Women’s History Museum. The National Women’s History Museum’s Scholars Advisory Council is a distinguished group of renowned women’s history scholars who help guide the Museum’s exhibition and programmatic strategies.

John Opera, associate professor in the Department of Art (photography), has been invited to participate in Palomar, a two-part group exhibition at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, on view May 2–July 12, 2026. The exhibition brings together artists whose work engages observation, perception, and the relationship between scientific inquiry and everyday experience.

The National Institute for Health Care Management named Scott Barkowski, assistant professor of economics, a finalist for its 2026 Policy Research Award. Selected from more than 320 entries, the awards honor impactful health care research, policy and journalism. Barkowski’s study, published in the Journal of Health Economics, examines how physicians’ awareness of peers’ costs influences referrals. Barkowski's research explores health insurance’s reach and the effects of public policies, including Medicaid expansions, throughout society.

Ana Mariella Bacigalupo, professor in the Department of Anthropology, gave a lecture titled “When Landscapes Speak: Multispecies Ethics in Northern Peru,” at a two-day symposium held at Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative, March 26-27.

Kristin Stapleton, professor of history, along with two colleagues, edited the newly issued Sage Handbook of Interpreting Chinese History, a collection of 32 essays by leading scholars of Chinese history from around the world.

Colin Quinn, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, received the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Summer Institute.

Ogechukwu Williams, associate professor in the Department of History, participated in multiple global health programs in February across academic, medical and public platforms, demonstrating how historical perspectives can inform contemporary global healthcare policy and practice.

Elizabeth Scarlett, professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, received honorable mention for the Adela Zamudio Essay Prize from Feministas Unidas, a coalition of feminist scholars in Spanish and related fields.