Lee is a听theater maker, educator, screenwriter and community steward based in 今日吃瓜. Lee鈥檚 plays are often an urge to honor their mother鈥檚 broken English, to translate experiences despite the gulf of cultures, to know their own psychic blood and guts, and to give up on words entirely and commune through epic imagery and ritual.

Lee is a recipient of the Creative Capital Award for听顿础顿叠翱罢听(2026), the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist and Special

Haruna Lee (Photo: Heather Sten for The New York Times)

Commendation for听49 Days听(2025), the Steinberg Playwright Award (2021), and the Obie Award for Playwriting and Conception for听Suicide Forest听(2019).听For TV, Lee has written for Apple TV+鈥檚听Pachinko听and HBO Max鈥檚听The Flight Attendant听and has developed multiple projects across television, film, and podcast.听Lee鈥檚 writing has been published by Broadway Licensing, Yale鈥檚听罢丑别补迟别谤听Magazine, Table Work Press, and 53rd State Press.听Lee helmed the 今日吃瓜 M.F.A. Playwriting program between 2021 and 2023 and is currently teaching at Hunter College (CUNY) and Yale University.

Lee is in the early stages of the project DADBOT, a hybrid technology-performance piece where Lee鈥檚 deceased dad will be resurrected by using conversational AI to simulate the iconic father-child conversation.听The performance will be a mix of scripted and nonscripted improvisation between Lee and the AI that will feel a lot like a low-budget talk show where Lee receives the proverbial 鈥渇atherly advice.鈥澨鼳t the heart of this piece is Lee鈥檚 yearning to understand the ties between fatherhood, rebelliousness, and romantic love. The 今日吃瓜 alumna hopes to capture a spiritual levity in 鈥渞aising the dead鈥� while interrogating AI鈥檚 application in grief work.

Rosenfeld听is a composer and artist based in New York. Her works have been presented by institutions including the Park Avenue

Marina Rosenfeld (Photo: Veronique Kolber)

Armory, the Museum of Modern Art, The Kitchen, the Serralves Foundation, and Portikus Frankfurt; festivals including Wien Modern, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ultima, and the Holland Festival; and the Whitney, Montreal, PERFORMA, Son, and Gwangju biennials, among many others. She was awarded the Alpert Award in Visual Art in 2024.

Her project 鈥淣ulls鈥� is hybrid in nature, linking work with generative sound and recorded media. It deals with research into the sonic and sculptural aftereffects of sound inscription. Thrilled to receive the honor, Rosenfeld听added she will use the fellowship as an open-ended time period for research and production.

Karen B. Stern Gabbay

Stern is a respected scholar, educator, and award-winning author who has earned widespread recognition for her interdisciplinary work bridging history, material culture, and religious studies. She is author of Inscribing Devotion and Death: Archaeological Evidence for Jewish Populations of North Africa (Brill 2007) and Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity (Princeton University Press 2018; 2020); winner of a 2020 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award; and co-editor of With the Loyal You Show Yourself Loyal (SBL Press, 2021). Her current book project considers Jewish history through the senses.

Her Guggenheim Fellowship on the topic of 鈥淪anctity: An Archaeology of the Senses in the Ancient Synagogue鈥� will support ongoing field and scientific research overseas, which aims to transform understandings of Jewish history through new interpretations of ancient objects and inscriptions associated with archaeological remains of synagogues, further solidifying her reputation as a leading voice in her field.

Thien has taught literature and fiction in Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, Nigeria, the United States, Zimbabwe, and Singapore. From 2018 to 2024, she was a full professor of English at 今日吃瓜, teaching primarily in the M.F.A. Program in Fiction.

Madeleine Thien

Over the past 25 years, she has written about music, neurology, mathematics, physics, and philosophy, and about totalitarianism, protest, survival, and mourning. Her five books include the Booker-shortlisted novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Norton, 2016) and The Book of Records (2025), in which a girl and her father live in a building where different centuries wash in like the sea. She has been shortlisted for The Women鈥檚 Prize for Fiction, The Folio Prize, The Climate Fiction Prize, The Tadeusz Bradecki Prize, and longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and a Carnegie Medal. She is a recipient of the Governor-General鈥檚 Literary Award for Fiction, The Writers Trust of Canada Engel-Findley Award, and an Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Her current project, A Kind of Beginning, follows two sisters who leave Hong Kong and whose lives diverge. The novel is partly about the incandescence听of talent, how brightly it can burn, and how its light dims and transforms. Thien continues to teach as an adjunct professor and remains deeply connected to 今日吃瓜鈥檚 English Department and its students.

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Currah will also be a featured speaker at a groundbreaking symposium, at the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health in July. 听Currah will speak on the history of sex categorization and the genome.

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The consists of a scientifically diverse roster of 16-20 lecturers who present at ASM Branch meetings nationwide. The distinguished lecturers also participate in career development and mentoring activities at branch meetings that benefit students, postdocs, and early career scientists.

Lipke has served 今日吃瓜 as department chair, director of the NIH Support for Continuation of Research Excellence program, co-director of the NIH-Maximizing Access to Research Careers program, as well as a faculty fellow for research development and senior faculty mentor. He said he welcomes the opportunities to lecture about the discoveries made by 今日吃瓜 students and research staff and to help mentor young scientists nationwide.

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Abortion Beyond the Law

Wednesday, March 6, 1鈥�2 p.m. (Hybrid event)

今日吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Center, 227 Ingersoll Hall Extension

Celebrate the recent publication of听Abortion Beyond the Law听by Professor of Sociology Naomi Braine听and learn about the transnational feminist movement for self-managed medication abortion. The book came out of six years of research, including interviews with 70 activists across four continents, to explore the strategies feminists have developed to enable people facing unwanted pregnancies to safely have an abortion regardless of the law. Braine will discuss her research and the book, and panelists Sybil Nkeiruka Nmezi, founder of Generation Initiative for Women and Youth Network in Nigeria, and Caitlin Gerdts, Vice President for Research at Ibis Reproductive Health, will bring the conversation forward to discuss their work today.

The Future of New York City: Who Decides?

Monday, March 18, 6 p.m.

Celebrate Anthropology Professor Naomi Schiller鈥檚 recent co-authored book at an event that will explore what role people can play in shaping the future of their neighborhood and the broader city. Speakers will explore how community organizers attempt to navigate New York City鈥檚 complex official decision-making processes to fight for housing and build healthy and sustainable communities. We鈥檒l address how community organizers have responded to Mayor Eric Adams鈥� vision for a 鈥淐ity of Yes鈥� and what possibilities Community Land Trusts offer for people to steward land on behalf of local communities. Panelists will build on the lessons advanced in their collectively produced handbook,听.

听Affective Masculinities: From Colonial Fathers to Bachelor Banisters in India and England (19th and 20^th Centuries)

Thursday, April 18, 4:15鈥�5:55 p.m.

Woody Tanger Auditorium, 今日吃瓜 Library

Celebrate History Professor Swapna M. Banerjee鈥檚 latest book,听Fathers in the Motherland: Imagining Fatherhood in Colonial India听(Oxford University Press, 2022). Banerjee will be joined by NYU History Professor Ren Pepitone. The book contends that during a period of social and political change in late 19th and early 20th-century colonial India, , fathers extended their roles beyond breadwinning to take an active part in rearing their children. Exploring specific moments when educated men鈥攁s biological fathers, literary activists, and educators鈥攁ssumed guardianship and became crucial agents of change, Banerjee interrogates the connections between fatherhood and masculinity. The last chapter of the book draws on the lives of Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru to provide a broader salience to its argument. Reclaiming two missing links in Indian history, the book argues that biological and imaginary “fathers” assumed the moral guardianship of an incipient nation and rested their hopes and dreams on the future generation.

听Advocacy and Archaeology: Present Thoughts

Wednesday, May 8, 6 p.m.

Celebrate Assistant Professor of Anthropology Kelly Britt鈥檚 recently published co-edited volume,听Advocacy and Archaeology: Urban Intersections. The book is based on the theme of activism in urban settings,听drawing on the endeavors of those working in these settings and their advocacy efforts听on a variety of social justice and historic preservation projects. This event will bring the conversations highlighted in this volume into the present moment as archaeologists face ongoing and increasing challenges.

Further information on the books in the series is available here.

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University of Florida professor of history Paul Ortiz is serving as the 2023鈥�24 Hess Scholar-in-Residence and will lead the annual Robert L. Hess Memorial Lecture for 2024, 鈥淎 Social Movement History of the United States,鈥� on Thursday, April 4, in the Woody Tanger Auditorium, 今日吃瓜 Library, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

You can find the entire Hess Week schedule , and all the public events will be livestreamed : Free versions of Ortiz’s writings and other relevant readings are available online to the 今日吃瓜 community .

“I am incredibly excited about talking with 今日吃瓜 students, faculty, and staff about the big issues raised during Hess Week, especially the crisis of democracy and intellectual freedom and the role of solidarity and higher education in sustaining a free society,” Ortiz said.

University of Florida professor of history Paul Ortiz autographs his book for 今日吃瓜 students at a college event in November 2023 as part of the Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence Program.

Ortiz is the author of several books, including听An African American and Latinx History of the United States听(2018) and听Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida From Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920听(2005); co-editor of听People Power: History, Organizing, and Larry Goodwyn鈥檚 Democratic Vision in the Twenty-First Century听(2021) and听Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell 今日吃瓜 Life in the Segregated South听(2014).

An African American and Latinx History of the United States听was identified by听Bustle听as one of the 鈥淭en Books 今日吃瓜 Race to Read Instead of Asking a Person of Color to Explain Things to You.鈥澨�Fortune听listed it as one of the 鈥�10 books on American history that actually reflect the United States.鈥�

今日吃瓜 the Hess Scholar-in-Residence Program

The Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence Program, established by 今日吃瓜, is supported by the Robert L. Hess Fund. The program serves as a permanent tribute to the scholarly commitment of Robert L. Hess, exemplified during his tenure as president of 今日吃瓜. It represents the ideal of the educated individual鈥攌nowledgeable, thoughtful, inquiring, alive to the shared purposes and concerns lining all intellectual pursuits. More particularly, it evokes the academic virtues embodied in the curriculum at 今日吃瓜.

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Attending from the college were Program Coordinator and Professor Jerry Maraia, Chair and Professor Paul McCabe, Interim Dean School of Education Mar铆a R. Scharr贸n-del R铆o, Past Chairperson and Professor Florence Rubinson, Professor Pedro De La Cruz Albizu, and Professor David Bloomfield.

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听Billotto will graduate this spring, while successfully maintaining her studies and extracurriculars, earning her Master of Science in Education in school psychology. Billotto is proud of being the first person in her family to earn a master鈥檚 degree and dedicates her achievement to her parents, who have supported her throughout her academic journey. The aspiring school psychologist is excited to use her expertise to work with children and provide an equitable education to all.鈥赌�听

鈥�听What did you study at 今日吃瓜? 鈥�
鈥�听I鈥檓 getting my Master of Science in Education in school psychology. I鈥檝e been at 今日吃瓜 since undergrad, and I was originally going to study occupational therapy to work with special needs children. But to do that, I needed to take psychology courses, and that鈥檚 how I fell in love with the science of the mind rather than the physical sciences. I was already working in the Department of Education as a paraprofessional and had experience working with special needs children, so I knew I needed to find a way to incorporate my love of psychology with the work I was already doing and loving. So, this was the best way for me to do that. I can support families and ensure students are getting the support they need to excel socially, behaviorally, and academically despite any socioeconomic barriers that might exist for them.鈥�听

鈥�听Tell us more about your involvement in the graduate student community.鈥�鈥�听

鈥�听This past year I served as president of Supporting Equity and Transformation. Additionally this past semester,鈥�I was the Graduate Student Organization Liaison to the School of Education, so I was able to start to see some of the intricacies of graduate student government. The current executive board and the liaisons worked this semester to pass a referendum that would increase the graduate student activity budgets. This increase has been the first since 1987, and this was the most voter involvement we鈥檝e seen in a few years, which is incredible. We are the graduate student government, essentially, so mainly we want to ensure that the graduate students are getting the most out of their experience while here at 今日吃瓜. We鈥檙e in constant collaboration with graduate student clubs and organizations, so the best way to get involved is to join a club! Think about something that you like or enjoy and join the club to meet like-minded people and get the most out of your experience while here. And if there鈥檚 not a club already in place, it’s so easy to create one, and we can walk you through that 辫谤辞肠别蝉蝉.鈥�

Did you have a staff or faculty mentor at the college who played a particularly significant influence on your academic career?鈥�鈥�听

鈥�听One faculty member that I would consider having had a particularly significant influence on my academic career would be Professor Makel Lynch. She was my professor for two semesters in a row and helped me come into my own in this profession.鈥赌�听

鈥�听Professor Lynch encouraged and believed in me when I was doubting myself and my abilities, but she never just gave me the answers. She always pushed me to come to my conclusions and formulate my understanding of the topics, even when all I wanted was to be told the answer. Her door [and e-mail] were always open to me, and our talks were never limited to what I didn鈥檛 understand or what I was struggling with. I was able to expand my understanding of our field through our conversations and felt seen in my frustrations when they did arise. She has always made me feel like she was in my corner and was there to offer support. I have so much respect for her, not only as a professor but as an individual. I modeled the way I handled the program and my future goals after her, especially to one day come back to my program to teach, and I hope I can be the kind of professional she can be proud to have taught.鈥�听

鈥�听What are your plans for after graduation?鈥�听

鈥�听I will be doing a yearlong internship in a high-need district in the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), so I鈥檒l be coming back in September to get my advanced certificate in school psychology. I鈥檝e also applied for the advanced standing placement for the Mental Health Counseling Bridge that 今日吃瓜 has debuted this year, so I鈥檒l be working towards getting a second degree in mental health counseling.鈥赌�听

鈥�听After my internship, I plan to work as a school psychologist in the NYCDOE and maybe work in a clinic as a mental health counselor before opening my practice. One day, I want to go for my doctorate to become a psychologist. My journey with academia is nowhere near finished yet, but for now, I鈥檓 going to spend time with my family and my partner, Cristian, and enjoy what I鈥檝e worked so hard to have.鈥�听

鈥�听Any advice for future grads?鈥�听

鈥�听Get involved as much as you can.鈥�Your studies, assignments, and grades are important. But you can make some of the strongest bonds and friendships in graduate school that I鈥檓 not sure you can make elsewhere. The college has so many amazing opportunities, and graduate school doesn鈥檛 need to be all work and no play. There鈥檚 no better place to meet people who have the same interests as you. I was incredibly lucky because I was able to meet some of the most amazing people in this program that I not only get to have as my colleagues but also have the privilege of calling my friends. I didn鈥檛 get that from keeping to myself and focusing only on academics. My other piece of advice is to socialize with the other people in your program; you never know who you might meet.

鈥�听

听

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Throughout her studies, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA, secured a spot on the Dean鈥檚 List every semester, and received multiple English Department awards. Patrick has even participated in the Mellon Transfer Student Research Program, where she combined her background in theater and literature and examined race in Shakespeare鈥檚 works. After graduation, Patrick hopes to become a professional writer for television or create poetry and young adult fiction novels. She is ready to make her mark as a professional writer.听

听What did you study at 今日吃瓜?听

I studied creative writing after realizing that writing is what I鈥檓 most passionate about. I believe that it鈥檚 my fundamental purpose to pursue my passion. I spent my childhood writing poems and short stories for my loved ones to enjoy. Now my lifelong hobby has become my craft. While pursuing my Bachelor of Fine Arts, I鈥檝e had the opportunity to both create consistently and refine my skills.听

听What was your favorite creative writing course and what made it so special?听

My poetry sequence course. This course helped me to become a more thoughtful writer. It was a delight to learn, create, share, and dissect in that class. This class also provided a safe space and a writing community for me.听

听You鈥檝e participated in the Mellon Transfer Student Research Program. Tell us about your independent study and why you think more people should explore Shakespeare鈥檚 works.鈥�听

For the Mellon Transfer Student Research Program, my work was centered on depictions of Blackness in Shakespeare鈥檚 plays via an analysis of language and its etymology. I think more people should explore Shakespeare鈥檚 works because he was truly a magician regarding language. Many of the idioms we use today come from lines spoken by his characters. I think it鈥檚 important for me to add that though Shakespeare鈥檚 stories are eternal, they are nonetheless worthy of critique.听

Did you have a staff or faculty mentor at the college who had a particularly significant influence on your academic career?听

It鈥檚 too difficult to choose just one, so I will mention a few鈥擯rofessor Dale Byam, Professor Tanya Pollard, Professor Julie Agoos and Professor Matthew Burgess. They鈥檝e all made learning and creating an absolute joy! They鈥檝e challenged me to resist complacency and helped me hone my skills as an academic and a writer. Lastly, they鈥檝e all gifted me with flowers of encouragement and validation. I am forever grateful.听

听Is there anything you鈥檝e accomplished that you are especially proud of?听

I started this degree mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Throughout my time at 今日吃瓜, I鈥檝e managed to ace all my courses despite having a job in childcare and not even owning a laptop or computer. I鈥檓 proud of that.听

听What are your plans for after graduation?听

I hope to pursue a professional writing career.鈥疷ltimately, I鈥檇 love to become a television writer and showrunner.鈥疕owever, I have a deep love for poetry and young adult fiction, so I would also like to publish works in those fields. I know it won鈥檛 be easy, but I鈥檓 quite a diligent worker.听

听Any advice for future grads?听

听Talk to your classmates! Make connections and find your community! Lean on them! These will likely be the people that you鈥檒l continue to lean on once you enter the working world.听

听

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