Faculty Focus-July 15, 2025
Faculty members put their knowledge into action so students and others are able to benefit from it. Recently, faculty published articles in high-impact journals, were invited to be distinguished speakers, edited groundbreaking books, and wrote op-eds on timely and important topics.
Allison Rowland
Maurer Professor of Performance & Communication Arts Allison Rowland recently published an article with their former student Ava Marshall ’23 in Rhetoric of Health & Medicine titled, “Googling for Abortion in the Rural United States: Crisis Pregnancy Centers as Networked Misogyny."
The article, which studies the information available to pregnant people when they Google search, began as Marshall’s 2023 Senior Year Experience research project. Marshall and Rowland have collaborated since then on the work.
Marshall is now a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying health communication.
Jeff Frank
Professor of Education Jeff Frank published a paper in Education Inquiry titled, “Education for resonance: a framework for assessing educational technologies in rural schools,” that looks at how to evaluate the use of technology in rural schools. Frank is currently organizing a conference on resonance, and this article is one piece of a larger project.
Frank also recently penned an op-ed in Albany’s Times Union titled, “How to find what you aren’t looking for,” which argues that Internet searches often only help us find what we already know we are interested in. While this is tremendously useful, we also have to learn how to become seekers, allowing ourselves to discover what we don't yet know we are interested in.
Frank recently published another op-ed in Deseret News titled, “In the age of AI, we need character education more than ever,” which argues that, while young people are literate in the language of Silicon Valley, they need to know more about ancient wisdom.
Frank also recently published an article in Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society titled, “Learning to leave good enough alone: Winnicott, influencer culture, and rebuilding trust in higher education." The article makes the case that Winnicott's thinking about freedom can help colleges and universities rethink their fundamental mission and purpose.
Cynthia Bansak
Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics Cynthia Bansak was recently asked to be a distinguished speaker at the Bloomberg 2025 Academic Symposium in New York City, where she spoke about how St. Lawrence University uses the Bloomberg Finance Lab in the classroom to foster student success.
In particular, Bansak discussed how St. Lawrence established a finance major and finance lab; how the University strives to make it accessible to all students, faculty and staff on campus; and how students are able to gain the career readiness skills through experiential learning that links theory to the real world in the ODY Bloomberg Finance Lab.
Zhenjun Zhang
Professor of World Languages, Cultures, and Media, Coordinator of Asian Studies Zhenjun Zhang recently published an edited book titled, “Routledge Handbook of Traditional Chinese Literature.”
This handbook presents a comprehensive overview of 3,000 years of Chinese literature from its earliest beginnings to the end of the Qing (1644–1911), the last empire of China. With a focus on well-known authors and masterpieces in each important genre, this volume covers verses, prose, drama, and fiction arranged in thematic groupings.
Howard Eissenstat
Laurentian Associate Professor and Chair of History Howard Eissenstat was recently featured in a handful of German-language press outlets, including Die Presse and Stuttgarter Zeitung, for his comments on the latest political purges in Turkey which target the main opposition Republican People’s Party.
Eissenstat argues that the goal of these purges is not to eradicate the party, but rather to make it into a compliant shell.
Eissenstat was also recently featured on the podcast Let’s Just Talk With Hammi, hosted by St. Lawrence alumnus Hammidou (Hammi) Sylla ’21, where Eissenstat discussed the Kurdish Peace Process in Turkey and its ramifications for the region.
Antun Husinec
James H. Chapin Professor of Geology and Mineralogy Antun Husinec recently an article in Nature titled, “Cerium anomalies and iodine track nonuniform paleoredox conditions during the Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a,” which uncovers how ancient oceans lost oxygen during one of Earth’s most dramatic climate crises roughly 120 million years ago.
Using chemical signals preserved in the rocks, including carbon isotopes, trace metals, and a novel iodine-based oxygen indicator, Husinec’s research team found evidence of widespread low-oxygen conditions, interrupted by brief periods of recovery. These shifts were linked to volcanic activity, rising sea levels, and increased weathering on land.
The study highlights how ancient rocks can help scientists understand how oceans respond to climate change, offering valuable insight into modern environmental challenges.
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St. Lawrence’s Faculty Focus is a regular roundup of noteworthy faculty news.
