2003 Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellows

Paula Horrigan

Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture, Agriculture & Life Sciences

Professor Horrigan is dedicated to examining and fostering the theory and practice of place-based design through her teaching, research and outreach efforts. Currently the faculty chair of the Faculty Fellows-in-Service Program, she is an advocate for action research, service-learning and community outreach. She has developed an innovative service-learning curriculum through her Participatory Community Design Studio (LA 402), where senior landscape architecture majors partner with community organizations on real projects, including streetscape redesign, downtown revitalization, public park design, and "landscapes for learning" on local school grounds and educational environments. She is currently working with the Northside Neighborhood in Binghamton, NY and with the City of Jamestown, both projects initiated through her involvement in the SUNY Network and the New York State Quality Communities Program.

She used the Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship in Service-Learning award to develop a community Design Workbook and CD-ROM entitled Design Practices and Processes for Shaping Community Places to be utilized by students, community partners and faculty. The workbook will be particularly useful to the efforts being undertaken as part of the New York State Quality Communities Initiative. Community and academic partners will contribute valuable input, knowledge and evaluation in developing the workbook to ensure effectiveness for multiple audiences. It includes project profiles, reflections and evaluation of projects, process tools, literature and resource information vital to design partnerships, strengthening community capacity and addressing community design problems. By fostering design practices that build meaningful and dynamic community relationships between people and places, LA 402 aims to empower student designers to become reflective, responsible, and engaged design researchers and practitioners, while promoting the sustained growth and health of New York State communities and places.

Carl Batt

Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor, Food Science, Agriculture & Life Sciences

Professor Carl A. Batt serves as co-director of the Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC), and director of the Cornell University/Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Partnership. He received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in Food Science and has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and reviews.

Professor Batt has made important and tangible contributions toward educating both youth and teachers in Upstate New York in many areas of science. He has been involved in numerous K-12 science, technology, engineering and math outreach (STEM) activities, and as co-director of the Nanobiotechnology Center serves as the faculty mentor for all PSC educational programs, which span from pre-K through graduate education. Professor Batt, in collaboration with community partners, has established science clubs in three rural middle schools that are focused on getting young women excited about science, and also established two other "mixed gender" clubs that involve underrepresented minorities. During the summer, he is involved in running various research programs available for high school students, undergraduates and K-12 science teachers. He also develops and implements science workshops for people of all ages at the annual Great New York State Fair and has served as president of the Board of the Ithaca Montessori School since 1999.

His commitment to science education at all school levels is driving his proposed undergraduate course in the Department of Education entitled Turning Theory into Practice, which combines educational theory with a practical exercise creating inquiry-based K-12 science activities, and equally important, have an outcome that will benefit the school community. The goals of the course are to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to create and test inquiry-based learning activities for K-12 students; to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to engage in outcome-based community service; and to provide a local school with high-quality science-learning activities and kits to enrich their science curriculum.