Accomplishments - August, 2026
Steve Gariepy, outreach coordinator and experiential education specialist at the SIU STEM Education Research Center, was recently recognized as one of six ”2026 Outstanding Volunteers of the Year” by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In addition to overseeing outreach initiatives that bridge classroom, outdoor learning and environmental stewardship at the research center, Gariepy has led public education and outdoor programs for over 15 years at Giant City State Park. He received the award on Aug. 22 at the Illinois State Fair.
John Reid Perkins-Buzo, associate professor, School of Media Arts, recently wrote “Anthroposemiosis of Eric Rohmer: Le Rayon vert and Signs of Φιλότης (Friendship),” a chapter on preeminent French filmmaker Eric Rhomer for the academic book Semiotics in Transition — Signs, Media, and Ecologies of Meaning in the 21st Century. The chapter conducts a close view and commentary on anthroposemiosis — that is, the human use of signs — within Rohmer’s late film “Le Rayon vert.”
Cheng-Yao Lin, professor, School of Education, is the 2026 Max Beberman Mathematics Educator Award recipient from the Illinois Association of Teachers of Mathematics. Nominators praised Lin’s “outstanding involvement and leadership with the mathematics community as well as many research papers and presentations.” The award honors Beberman, a pioneering mathematics educator, and “recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to mathematics education through teacher preparation, curriculum development, educational research, or other efforts that advance the teaching and learning of mathematics.” This includes extending instruction beyond their own classrooms by improving how mathematics is taught, how teachers are prepared, and how students learn mathematics. Lin will receive the award at the organization’s conference on Sept. 19.
Lahiru Jayakody, associate professor of microbiology, and his team of student researchers are presenting their recent development of the µBite project today (Aug. 24) at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) as part of the “Undergraduate and Graduate Research in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology” symposium in Chicago. The project involved programming yeast to turn plastic and agricultural waste into edible proteins and other food ingredients. The proteins can be 3D-printed into cookies or other foods. ACS promotion of this presentation on its platforms has garnered media attention from prestigious industry news outlets. Presenting with Jayakody are graduate students Sandhya Jayasekara and Bhagya Jayasekara; undergraduate student Elwood Sheflin; and Carbondale High School student Isabelle Hou.
Jim Garvey, director of the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences and professor of zoology, published “Uncovering What Makes Crappies and Anglers Thrive in Crab Orchard Lake of Southern Illinois” in Outdoor Illinois Journal. The article highlights the partnership between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Together, SIU and IDNR are researching the behavior of the lake’s crappies to keep their population robust and surveying the anglers who fish for them to learn more about their needs from the fishery.
Justin Schoof, a professor in geography and environmental resources, will present “Climate Change – The Role of Humans,” at the Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1501 W. Chautauqua, Carbondale. The free discussion is open to the public and will look at the role humans play in the process of climate change. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. with presentation at 10:30 a.m.
