'Cuse Conversations

There’s a new father-son sportscasting team on the national scene, one with a decidedly Orange background: Ian ’90 and Noah Eagle ’19. Ian finished his second year as the lead announcer for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and has crafted an award-winning career calling NFL and NBA games on a variety of national broadcast networks. He’s also the longtime Brooklyn Nets TV announcer for the YES Network. Noah is a rising star, working the Super Bowl and serving as the voice of Team USA basketball at the Olympics, the radio voice of the Los Angeles Clippers, and broadcasting French Open tennis and countless primetime college football and basketball games. Sportscasting and a love for Syracuse University runs in the Eagle family, and in honor of Father’s Day, the Eagles stopped by to discuss their special bond, relive the moment in February of 2018 when Ian was calling the Syracuse vs. Miami men’s basketball game for CBS and Noah was broadcasting for WAER-FM, and reflect on the important role Syracuse University has played in their lives.

Civil and environmental engineering professor Charles Driscoll⁠ [https://ecs.syracuse.edu/faculty-staff/charles-t-driscoll] has always been interested in ways to protect our environment and natural resources, so he set about studying the large-scale effects of pollutants on the natural environment, earning a civil engineering degree from the University of Maine and both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Cornell University. Driscoll, one of the nation’s leading experts on pollution research, developed a series of predictive environmental models that explore how chemicals in soil, water and vegetation change when exposed to air pollutants. He has devised strategies to reverse the damaging effects of acid rain and mercury contamination in lakes, including leading efforts to successfully restore nearby Onondaga Lake—once one of the most polluted lakes in the country—after developing new methods of testing for mercury. On this episode, Driscoll discusses the magnitude of his research, how he uses models to both understand the disturbances and lead restoration efforts and reflects on some of his successful remediations.

Community engagement. Reciprocal learning. Service to others through volunteering. Those were the principles behind the creation of the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service [https://shawcenter.syr.edu/] in 1994 under the direction of then-Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth Shaw and his wife, Mary Ann, who also served as the associate of the Chancellor. For 30 years, the Shaw Center has proudly served as Syracuse University’s hub for academic community engagement. By giving back to nonprofits and organizations around Syracuse through service learning and volunteering, the campus community engages in the high impact practice of experiential learning. On April 21, the 30th anniversary of the Shaw Center will be celebrated [https://calendar.syracuse.edu/events/2025-apr-21/shaw-center-30th-anniversary-celebration/], and on this episode, former Shaw Center volunteer Derek Wallace '00 and current student volunteer Claire Ceccoli '25 discuss how their involvement with the Shaw Center transformed them into leaders in their communities.

The cutting-edge weight loss and diabetes research developed by medicinal chemist Robert Doyle [https://artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/people/faculty/doyle-robert/?_gl=1*1hn53e2*_gcl_au*MTYwOTI1ODIzNS4xNzQwNzUxMTAz*_ga*ODU0MjY4MDU3LjE3NDA3NTExMDM.*_ga_S5CXSPXYHM*MTc0MjU4NDI3My43NC4wLjE3NDI1ODQyNzMuMC4wLjA.*_ga_65S0N1FWNY*MTc0MjU4NDI3NC43NC4wLjE3NDI1ODQyNzQuNjAuMC4w] has offered significant and consistent weight loss and glucose control to its recipients through peptide-based treatments. Doyle and his fellow collaborators reported that two new peptide compounds­­—GEP44 and KCEM1—considerably reduce body weight and normalize blood glucose levels without causing the typical negative side effects experienced by patients who take currently available GLP-1-based anti-obesity drugs. Doyle, the Jack and Laura H. Milton Professor and Dean's Professor of Chemistry [https://artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/chemistry/?_gl=1*1hn53e2*_gcl_au*MTYwOTI1ODIzNS4xNzQwNzUxMTAz*_ga*ODU0MjY4MDU3LjE3NDA3NTExMDM.*_ga_S5CXSPXYHM*MTc0MjU4NDI3My43NC4wLjE3NDI1ODQyNzMuMC4wLjA.*_ga_65S0N1FWNY*MTc0MjU4NDI3NC43NC4wLjE3NDI1ODQyNzQuNjAuMC4w] in the College of Arts and Sciences [https://artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/],focuses his research on pharmaceutical drug development for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. On this episode, Doyle discusses his breakthrough weight loss research, the important role students play in advancing his research, and how, through philanthropy, his work has come to life.

Syracuse University is committed to removing barriers and creating opportunities so all undergraduates can study abroad or away before they graduate. More than 50% of students explore the world through a Syracuse Abroad [https://suabroad.syr.edu/] center, according to Nicole Collins, director of strategic partnerships and outreach with Syracuse Abroad. With over 100 study abroad programs in 60 locations around the world [https://suabroad.syr.edu/destinations/], there’s a unique opportunity for every student who wants to immerse themselves in a new culture. While the spring has traditionally been when the majority of students study abroad, Collins says there’s been a shift towards the fall semester [https://syr-sa.terradotta.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.SearchResults&PROGRAM_TYPE_ID=1&PROGRAM_ACTIVE=1&PI=%7F&PC=%7F&PR=%7F&PT=Fall%7F&P_10021_T=YESNO&P_10000=%7F&P_10000_T=MULTI&P_10032_T=DATAX&P_10006=%7F&P_10006_T=MULTI&P_10035=%7F&P_10035_T=MULTI&P_10036=%7F&P_10036_T=SELCT&P_10037=%7F&P_10037_T=MULTI&P_10003=%7F&P_10003_T=MINIM&P_10002=%7F&P_10002_T=SELCT&P_10039=%7F&P_10039_T=SELCT&P_10038=%7F&P_10038_T=MULTI&P_10034=%7F&P_10034_T=SELCT&P_10026=%7F&P_10026_T=SELCT&P_10040=%7F&P_10040_T=SELCT&P_10027=%7F&P_10027_T=SELCT&P_10028=%7F&P_10028_T=SELCT&P_10029=%7F&P_10029_T=SELCT&P_10030=%7F&P_10030_T=SELCT&P_10033=%7F&P_10033_T=SELCT&P_10042_T=YESNO&P_10043=%7F&P_10043_T=SELCT&P_10044=Yes&P_10044_T=YESNO&SORT=Program_Name&ORDER=asc&PP=10021,10000,10032,10006,10035,10036,10037,10003,10002,10039,10038,10034,10026,10040,10027,10028,10029,10030,10033,10042,10043,10044] in recent years, with more students capitalizing on increased access to opportunities, increased access to financial aid, grants and scholarships and more flexibility with the programs. On this episode, Collins and Sophia Moore ’25, who enjoyed a life-changing Syracuse Abroad experience in Santiago, Chile, during the Fall 2023 semester, discuss the many benefits of studying abroad in the fall.