Media and Public Relations
This quarter the MPR office launched a new Binghamton Buzz Facebook Live video series and found a variety of new ways to reach international students, letting them know that we offer a welcoming and friendly environment, one of those being a TV spot produced for movie theaters in India.
BINGHAMTON IN THE NEWS
Zhanpeng Jin, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and fellow researchers were featured in Smithsonian, Fox News, Daily Mail, Mental Floss, Science Daily, MSN.com, Health, World Net Daily, Yahoo! Finance and others for developing a way to use patients’ heartbeat patterns to protect their electronic medical records, opening the door to a new method of biometric authentication. Total circulation: Over 243.7M
Seth Spain, professor of organizational behavior, was featured in Time, The New Yorker, Yahoo! News, Fortune, The Huffington Post and others for his research on building a better framework to better understand the behaviors of bad bosses and to reduce workplace stress. Total circulation: Over 212.2M
Kenneth McLeod, entrepreneur in residence, is the author of an article featured in The Washington Post, CNN, The Matt Townsend Show and MSN.com in which he argues that activating muscles deep in the leg that help keep blood and fluid moving through our bodies is essential to maintaining resting metabolic rate. Total circulation: Over 160.0M
Nicole Cameron, assistant professor of psychology, was featured in the New York Post, Elite Daily, Science Daily, UPI, Phys.org, International Business Times, Daily Mail.com and others for research findings that revealed that positive social support from a spouse could have negative physiological effects. Total circulation: Over 91M
Donald Nieman, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, was featured in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Conversation, Top of the Minute: Julie Rose/BYU Radio and others for his article titled “What Abraham Lincoln can teach Donald Trump.” Total circulation: Over 85.7M
Gretchen Mahler, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and fellow researchers were featured in Nature World News, USA Today, NDTV, Men’s Health, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Fox News, iTech Post, Tech Times, Live Science, Phys.org, Science Daily, The Hindu and others for research showing that a food additive found in common items like candy and chewing gum could alter digestive cell structure and function. Total circulation: Over 80M
Binghamton University graduate students were recognized in The Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo! News, USA Today, Arizona Republic, Science Magazine and others for developing a new computer model that could lead to more accurate and quicker flight delay predictions. Total circulation: Over 79.5M
Seokheun “Sean” Choi, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, was featured in Smithsonian, Salon, Yahoo! News, Nature World News, Science Daily, Tech Crunch and others for his research focusing on a bacteria-powered battery that could power disposable electronics on a sheet of paper. Total circulation: 66M
Katharine Wander, professor of anthropology, was featured in several publications, including Yahoo! Finance, NPR, Phys.org and others, for her thoughts on female genital mutilation. Total circulation: Over 51.8M
Isaac Vaghefi, assistant professor in the School of Management, was featured on Yahoo.com and others for developing a model showing that the degree of users’ cognitive dissonance can make a difference in their willingness to quit online addiction. Total circulation: Over 36M
Pamela Stewart Fahs, associate dean, professor and chair in rural nursing, was featured in Health, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and others for a study that showed how successful a walking program can be in changing biological markers such as cholesterol, weight and blood pressure. Total circulation: Over 13.4M
Robert Parkinson, professor of history, was featured in MSN.com, Fortune and others for his commentary on how the creation and spread of fake news stories played a role in the birth of the United States. Total circulation: Over 8M
Mohammad Khasawneh, professor of systems science and industrial engineering, was featured in the Daily Mail, Medical Daily, Before it’s News, Science Daily, Phys.org and others for research that indicated that proper movements in the Muslim prayer ritual can reduce lower back pain. Total circulation: Over 7.7M
Gretchen Mahler, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and fellow researchers were featured in UPI.com, Phys.org and others for creating a device that emulates human kidney function and could replace animal and human testing. Total circulation: Over 6.8M
Harvey Stenger, president of Binghamton University, was featured in The Wall Street Journal, Money and MSN.com in an article titled “There’s an Antidote to America’s Long Economic Malaise: College Towns.” In the article, Stenger said, “You need reasons for companies to stay in upstate New York. We are trying to provide the glue to help them stick around.” Total circulation: Over 3.4M
Researchers at Binghamton University were recognized in the Reader’s Digest for a study that found the old adage “early to bed and early to rise” makes you healthy, wealthy and wise to be true. The study found that people who went to bed later encountered more chronic negative thoughts throughout the day, which is linked to depression. Conversely, those who fell asleep earlier experienced fewer bouts of negative thinking. Total circulation: 2M
Sarah Laszlo, assistant professor of psychology, was featured in BBC Focus and a National Science Foundation post for a new test that uses the brain’s electrical activity to pinpoint reading challenges early, increasing chances for success in school. Total circulation: Over 2M
Adam Laats, associate professor of education, wrote an article for Raw Story titled “Evangelical enthusiasm for Trump doesn’t make sense – but here is why they still voted for him.” Total circulation: Over 2M
Steve Cain, senior research support specialist in the Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, and fellow researchers were featured in Nature World News and Claims Journal for figuring out how much damage memory units could take before becoming unreadable. Total circulation: 1.31M
Zachary Dubord, assistant director of transfer and veteran services, was featured in The Christian Science Monitor and USA Today for Binghamton University’s “VET NET ALLY” training program, which is designed to train faculty and staff with the goal of reducing misunderstandings and biases that student vets encounter. Total circulation: Over 847K
Timothy Faughnan, Binghamton University police chief, was quoted in a USA Today College article highlighting the benefits of community policing for university police departments. Total circulation: Over 647K
Vishal Gupta, assistant professor of strategy, was featured in an Entrepreneur article titled “Despite Bias, Women Entrepreneurs Are an Enormous Economic Force,” in which he discussed the lack of role models for women in entrepreneurship. Total circulation: Over 620K
Wei Quiang, assistant professor of chemistry, was recognized in The Scientist and published in Nature for his research showing that different fibril formations in the brains of deceased patients seem to correlate with various Alzheimer’s disease subtypes. Total circulation: Over 470K
Ruth Van Dyke, professor of anthropology, was quoted in an article published in Scientific American about research on the ancient Chaco civilization, in which she argued that studies using ancient indigenous DNA should not be done without tribal consultation. Total circulation: Over 464K
Mohammad Khasawneh, professor and head of the Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE) Department, was featured in UPI, The Daily Caller and other publications for proposing the Networked Pattern Recognition (NEPAR) Framework, which can be used to predict terrorist behaviors with more than 90 percent accuracy. Total circulation: Over 9M
SOCIAL MEDIA
The University saw heavy engagement on all of its social media channels. A Facebook post featuring a yearbook photo of Stephanie Courtney ’92 — Progressive Insurance’s “Flo” — had a 246,000+ reach, while a video spotlighting the student-founded food spot Chick-N-Bap had a 142,000+ reach. On Twitter, our top tweet featured an image of the snow-covered planet of Hoth from Star Wars paired with the caption “Binghamton student on the way to class this morning,” earned 10,700+ impressions. We had several popular Instagram posts as well. For example, a photo of the first big snowfall of the season earned 1,900+ likes, while a graphic asking followers who they were excited to see after the winter break generated 129 comments.
During the quarter, the University surpassed 56,000 followers on Facebook, 26,500 followers on Twitter, 16,600 followers on Instagram and 85,600 followers on LinkedIn.
We launched a new series of Facebook Live videos under the banner of The Binghamton Buzz, highlighting everything from the spring Job and Internship Fair to a Valentine’s Day sing-along from the a capella group Rhythm Method.
We continued to host numerous Snapchat Takeovers, where students manage our account for a 24-hour period. Those taking over the account ranged from an OCCT driver to students studying abroad. We also created a new Snapchat webpage to offer information about the account, solicit new takeovers and feature videos of past Takeovers.
BLOG
The Binghamton University Blog published seven blog posts on topics ranging from events to look forward to in the spring semester to entrepreneurs who got their start at Binghamton.
“14 Couples Who Found Love at Binghamton University” had a reach of over 100,000 on Facebook.
Other posts published this quarter include:
• “5 Binghamton University entrepreneurs you need to know”
• “9 awesome things to do in Binghamton this spring”
• “What is the Binghamton University community looking forward to in 2017?”
ASK A SCIENTIST
A total of 12 “Ask a Scientist” columns were published in the Press & Sun-Bulletin throughout the quarter. Faculty, staff and graduate students from across various schools and departments at Binghamton contributed answers to questions ranging from “What would happen if all of the ice on Earth melted?” to “How does our body grow hair?”
VIDEO
We completed a series of 18 new Major Minute videos, highlighting everything from economics to French: View the Major Minute Playlist.
Additional highlights:
I Love This Place | Binghamton University: Plash Sachdeva, graduate student in computer science and president of the Graduate Student Organization, came to the University all the way from New Delhi, India. The change proved challenging at first, but Binghamton is making Sachdeva, and other international students just like him, feel at home.
Binghamton in the City: Binghamton in the City week is a chance for alumni, current and admitted students, and their families to paint Metro New York green! The week includes a series of networking, social and academic programs to strengthen ties with the University, explore career opportunities and gain new connections. Get a glimpse of our week in just 60 seconds!
Novel Tea | Binghamton University: Cody But was born and raised in Flushing, Queens, to parents who originally emigrated from Hong Kong. He grew up on Asian-inspired dishes and always sampled new foods across city neighborhoods. With the large population of Asian students at Binghamton University, But felt there was an untapped market hiding in plain sight.
The Living Building at Nuthatch Hollow: Binghamton University’s Nuthatch Hollow is a hidden oasis just a short distance from campus. Associate professor Pam Mischen and professor Carl Lipo explain how this 75-acre property is ideal for the construction of a Living Building and how the project will spawn a wealth of new research opportunities.
Binghamton University | Global: This is Binghamton University, a global center for education and the premier public university in the Northeast.
FRI Program: Come in a freshman, walk out a researcher: Binghamton’s Freshman Research Immersion program is a groundbreaking, three-semester long program that gives eligible first-year students the opportunity to conduct authentic research during year one.
HIGH-PROFILE UNIVERSITY/PRESIDENT STENGER ACTIVITIES
• On Thursday, Jan. 19, President Harvey Stenger hosted Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who provided an audience made up of University faculty, staff and students as well as community members with an overview of the 2017 New York State of State address. The event was held in the Rotunda of the ITC before a crowd of about 125.
• On Feb. 23, 2017, Stenger hosted U.S. Sen. and House Minority Leader Charles Schumer. Schumer visited the University Downtown Center to announce that $2 million was finally going to be reimbursed to the University from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The monies were owed the campus following flood damage sustained in 2011 at the Downtown Center as a result of Tropical Storm Lee. Schumer lobbied FEMA to return the funds, which had been held up by FEMA due to a technicality. Schumer promised an additional $700,000 would be forthcoming.
• On Saturday, Feb. 25, Stenger attended the seventh annual University Day at the Mall, the University’s annual outreach effort to the community.
• On Monday, March 13, Stenger invited all of the SUNY campus presidents from the 22nd Congressional District to attend a luncheon meeting with Congresswoman Claudia Tenney at Binghamton. The meeting was designed to acquaint the representative with the SUNY assets within her district and to foster a dialogue about the important role the federal government plays in the operation of these campuses, as well as for higher education in general.
Other events the University hosted when Stenger was not able to be in attendance included:
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to campus Feb. 17, to once again highlight his State of the State address, and also delivered an overview of his budget priorities for 2017-2018. There were approximately 125 members of the community, as well as University students, faculty and staff members, in attendance.
• On Feb. 18, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, along with New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Steve Acquario, hosted a heroin and opioid forum on campus. The event highlighted the distressing statistics regarding the heroin and opioid addiction crisis faced by all counties in New York state. They outlined what is currently being done and what still needs to be done by all municipal leaders in order to curtail this growing problem, which is taking its toll on communities across the state.
• On Wednesday, March 1, Federal Relations Director Darcy Fauci took seven students to Albany for Binghamton University Advocacy Day. Students visited almost every Senate and Assembly member’s office to distribute information about the University, including data on its economic impact, rankings, research initiatives, etc.
• On Tuesday, March 14, Binghamton University was represented in Albany by University staff and Baxter at the SUNY Legislative Alumni breakfast and kickoff event for the 2017 Mascot Madness competition.