Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

18 News & Notes EYE ON ARTS Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media Highlights Suppo ed by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, the BA in Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media (W4DETM) provides a unique oppo unity for students who wish to develop their own voices as writers through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to produce content for film, television, theater streaming, and narrative gaming. Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows W4DETM students have access to a variety of a istic experiences within the industry. As a coho , students watch Broadway and off-Broadway shows, develop new skills in masterclasses and workshops, and tour theaters in the city. Following the shows, they debrief and review the productions through a DEI lens. Throughout this year, students in the W4DETM program a ended these productions: Some Like It Hot, How to Dance in Ohio, The Connector, The Wiz, and Suffs. Students met a erward to hold follow-up discussions to debrief about DEI representation in the shows. Service Day This year's service project looked into its own community, to help each other be er understand accessibility in the theater industry for neurodivergent a ists. The program hosted a discussion event featuring Ariel Reich and Rebekah Greer Melocik from How to Dance in Ohio. Neurodivergent students developed the program and facilitated the discussion to teach neurotypical students about accessibility in the a s as it relates to neurodivergence and to share their own experiences. They explored themes of accessibility in theater and focused on the experiences of individuals with neurodivergence in an open and organic discussion model with industry professionals who are fu her along in their careers. Students Present at No heast Natural History Conference Environmental Studies and Science students Lucas Andujar '24 and Samantha Cronk '23, MSESP '25 presented posters on their independent, community-focused research with faculty mentor Clinical Professor Mike Rubbo, PhD, at the 2024 No heast Natural History Conference. Cronk studied the effects of residential septic systems on water quality in the Pocantico River, New York. She found that the river had levels of phosphorous and bacteria that exceeded guidelines regardless of the density of septic systems. She is helping to design new studies to pinpoint the sources of these pollutants. Andujar investigated the use of road culve s by wildlife. He installed motion-activated cameras in culve s at sites throughout Westchester County, New York, and found that many species, including deer, coyotes, and bobcats, will use culve s to cross safely under roads only if exposed ground is present in the culve . Andujar hopes this research will be used to design culve s that facilitate their use by wildlife. Both studies have impo ant implications for conservation in local communities.

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