Canisius University has secured $1.15 million in federal funding, with support from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, to expand HyFlex and technology-enhanced classrooms in Old Main—advancing flexible, high-tech learning options and supporting Western New York’s evolving workforce needs. Read the full story here.
Jennifer Snekser, PhD, associate professor and co-chair of the Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation (ABEC) Department at Canisius University, has been appointed associate editor of Animal Behaviour, one of the foremost international journals in the study of animal behavior.
Published since 1953 for the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour in collaboration with the Animal Behavior Society, Animal Behaviour is widely recognized for publishing high-quality research on animal and human behavior. The journal includes primary research articles, methodological and data papers, critical reviews, commentaries, book reviews, and occasional special issues, spanning both fundamental and applied work as well as theoretical contributions across taxa and contexts.
Snekser was invited to serve a three-year term in recognition of her active research program and extensive expertise in animal behavior, ecology, and conservation. Her appointment reflects her standing in the field and her dedication to advancing rigorous, integrative behavioral science.
Canisius University Associate Professor of Economics and Finance Zachary McGurk, PhD, is a lead author on a newly accepted article in the Scottish Journal of Political Economy, an established international peer-reviewed journal in economics. The paper is among the first to utilize prediction and event markets to study asset prices, offering new insights into how financial markets process information and form expectations.
The study systematically incorporates Polymarket data into the empirical analysis of financial asset prices and examines how information embedded in prediction markets — platforms where participants trade contracts tied to future events — can be used to better understand asset price movements and the formation of expectations. The article is available through the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).
McGurk joined the Canisius faculty in 2019 and teaches international finance and business analytics. His research focuses on empirical international macroeconomics and macro-finance, with particular emphasis on time series methods. McGurk’s scholarship reflects a focus on rigorous quantitative analysis and real-world financial applications.
Click here to read more.
Sana Spector, PhD, program director of data analytics & data science at Canisius University, has had her paper, “Increasingly global convergence of Hermite series,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, a leading international journal in mathematical analysis. Spector co-authored the paper with Professor Vít Musil, PhD, of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.
The research investigates the convergence behavior of Hermite series expansions, fundamental tools in harmonic analysis and approximation theory with important applications in partial differential equations and mathematical physics. The paper establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for norm convergence of truncated Hermite series across various functional settings, including rearrangement-invariant spaces and Orlicz-type frameworks. This work advances the theoretical understanding of orthogonal expansions and their effectiveness in global function approximation.
Spector’s scholarship spans both pure and applied mathematics, including Random Matrix Theory, Wavelet Analysis, Functional Analysis, Probability and Statistics, Big Data, and their applications across diverse fields.
The paper can be accessed here.
Business First interviewed Nancy Wallace, PhD, dean of the Division of Arts, Education and Sciences, for a February 16 article about the university adding advanced certifications to its educational offerings. Canisius currently offers 12 advanced certificates in areas ranging from business to clinical mental health counseling and data analytics. Most recently, the university added a certification in health education. “We’ve had to adapt with the times and the needs that we see out there,” Wallace said. “We’re always in conversation with our partners – whether it’s business partners, K-12 partners, or medical partners – to update our curriculum.” To read the full story, click here.
Associate Professor of Economics Julie Anna Golebiewski, PhD, weighed in with The Buffalo News for a February 16 story examining how tariff policies and economic uncertainty are affecting the Buffalo Niagara region. Golebiewski noted that while some of the “clouds of uncertainty” surrounding on-again, off-again tariffs have subsided, significant unpredictability remains, leaving businesses cautious and the job market subdued. Click here to read the story.
Love was in the air at Christ the King Chapel (CKC) on Sunday, February 15 when Rev. Fred Betti, SJ, presided over a Valentine’s Day-inspired Vow Renewal Mass. WGRZ-TV Channel 2 and WIVB-TV Channel 4 both reported on the annual tradition, which saw more than 60 couples renew their marriage vows.
Jenn Lodi-Smith, PhD, professor of psychology, was featured on the inaugural episode of “Bird Banter,” a new video podcast produced by the global conservation company FeatherFriendly. During the February 12 interview, Lodi-Smith discussed The Spark Bird Project and highlighted the importance of creating safer environments for birds worldwide. FeatherFriendly, a Canada-based company with international reach, works to create a safer world for birds. Click here to listen to the podcast.
Bill Maher, director of athletics, discussed Buffalo’s preparations to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament during a February 12 interview that appeared on WKBW-TV Channel 7 and WBEN-AM Radio 930. Maher emphasized the importance of strong community support and creating a memorable visitor experience, noting that positive first impressions help position Buffalo to secure future NCAA Tournament bids. The tournament is expected to draw more than 19,000 visitors and generated an estimated $8 million in economic impact for the region.
Submitted by: University Communications
