UUPer Dave Iasevoli was surprised to hear Adirondack natives commonly use phrases like “Hebe” and “chocolate people” to describe individuals who are Jewish and of African decent.

As coordinator of the master’s in education program at SUNY Plattsburgh’s branch campus at Adirondack Community College in Queensbury, Iasevoli wondered: What does race mean to white teachers in rural areas, where it is rare to encounter people of different races and ethnicities?

A fair question, considering his firsthand experiences.

“Back when my wife and I took long weekends or vacations in the Adirondacks, our neighbor shared his sentiments about ‘city people’ and ‘Hebes,’” Iasevoli said. “Once, when my wife and I were visiting the apartment he rented from us, one of his friends asked, ‘So, which f^#@$% Hebe owns this place?’ My wife answered, ‘Well, that would be me.’

“That incident, and those comments, drove home the difficulty of bridging cultural differences.”

He used this and other personal encounters to encourage the teachers-to-be in his Intro to Comparative Education course to examine the racial and cultural biases that exist in the U.S., particularly in New York’s north country region. And, once recognizing biases do exist, he asked his students to consider if people of the dominant culture can fairly and accurately teach children from outside that culture.

The answer: Not yet, but there is hope.

To that end, Iasevoli suggests “that all upcoming teachers, from all backgrounds, be required to complete at least one field-work experience, or student-teaching placement, in a classroom where they are ‘the other.’”

Iasevoli shared the results of his pedagogy in a short essay, published in the fall 2009 issue of the National Education Association’s academic journal, Thought & Action. His essay, “‘A World of White and Snowy Scents:’ Teaching Whiteness,” earned him the NEA Excellence in the Academy/Art of Teaching Award. He received a plaque and a $2,500 honorarium during the recent AFT/NEA Higher Education Joint Conference in San Jose, Calif.

The title of his winning essay comes from a line in Wallace Stevens’ poem: “Still one would want more, one would need more/More than a world of White and snowy scents.”

Go to www.nea.org/home/37170.htm to read the full essay.

“When I first received word of the honor, I was stunned—that my personal and localized essay had been read with such regard,” Iasevoli said. “Then, when I met the Thought & Action review panel and fellow union members at the San Jose conference, the sense of solidarity moved me. I am so proud to belong.”

Iasevoli is currently working on a book on the history of education in New York state prisons. He has begun interviewing 25 incarcerated men to piece together oral histories of their schooling. It is tentatively titled Somewhat More Free: Histories of Prison Education, referencing a line from the Langston Hughes poem “Theme for English B.”

— Karen L. Mattison

Nancy Elwess wasn’t convinced—just yet.

Elwess, an associate professor of biological sciences at SUNY Plattsburgh, had just hung up the phone with someone claiming to be calling from the White House. The reason for the call: to inform her that she had been selected as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

“After I hung up, I picked up the phone and called back to verify because it’s not every day you get a call from the White House about an award,” said Elwess, laughing. “It was the number for the officer of science information, not the switchboard and they said ‘Didn’t I just get off the phone with you?’ I just wanted to be sure that someone wasn’t yanking my chain.”

The July call was legitimate. Elwess was one of 22 professors from across the U.S. selected for the award, which includes a $10,000 grant to help further the winners’ mentoring efforts. President Barack Obama will present the award to Elwess and the other recipients at a fall reception at the White House. The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring is awarded annually to recognize the importance of mentoring on the academic and personal development of students studying science or engineering.

“There is no higher calling than furthering the educational advancement of our nation’s young people and encouraging and inspiring our next generation of leaders,” President Obama said in a White House press release announcing the winners. “These awards represent a heartfelt salute of appreciation to a remarkable group of individuals who have devoted their lives and careers to helping others and in doing so have helped us all.”

“We are very proud of Professor Elwess’ accomplishments,” said UUP President Phillip Smith.

Elwess works with undergraduate students, who help to conduct DNA research on ancient Maya skeletons on loan from Belize; the skeletons may date as far back as 1500 A.D. By conducting tests on the skeletons, found at a Mayan temple site, students are trying to determine their age, their family ties, what type of diseases they may have died from and other data.

She has taken as many as 100 of her students to national and international science conferences to give presentations on their research. Two of her students receivedoffers to attend graduate programs at the universities of Miami and Kentucky after presenting at a conference, she said. Elwess’ students have also gone on to pursue higher degrees at Yale and the University of Oregon.

“What I try to do is not only to teach them about the science, but give them ownership of a part of the project,” she said. “One of the best things I think I can do for them is take them to conferences and have them present information there.”

But it’s the positive impact that mentoring can have on a student that keeps Elwess energized.

“I never realized how powerful a mentor can be until I had two people come into my life who were mentors,” said Elwess. “One is a retired teacher who served as an adjunct professor at SUNY Plattsburgh and I’ve learned so much from her. The other was a mentor at Purdue University (where Elwess earned her master’s in molecular biology) who I still seek advice from.”

— Michael Lisi

Swick-Duttine