Faculty Focus

Lily Prince is a professor of art in the College of the Arts and Communication. She has exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally, and has been awarded numerous commissions that include the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Prince’s works can be seen with prestigious galleries, where she has had solo exhibitions, including Littlejohn Contemporary, New York City; Thompson Giroux Gallery; Chatham, NY; Cross Contemporary in Saugerties, NY; as well as in Pierogi Gallery’s Flatfile’s, NY, NY. She was artist-in-residence at the Olana New York State Historic Site and has been awarded artist residencies at Draftsmen’s Congress at The New Museum, New York; BAU Institute, Italy; and Galerie Huit, Arles, France. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, New York magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, and New American Paintings. Most recently, Prince was awarded the highly prestigious Pollock-Krasner grant for her life-long achievements in painting. Her website is www.lilyprince.com. 

What do you find most meaningful through your research, scholarship or creative expression?
My paintings represent my visceral connection to nature, to the energy emanating from a specific evocative terrain. In these times of environmental and societal devastation, I consider it crucial to immerse myself in the landscape to record the natural beauty lurking there—perhaps to incite the arousal of sentiment, a stirring of connectedness.

How does your work contribute to student success?
Sharing my work, career and research techniques with my students continues to be essential, while being a role model to aspiring young artists is endlessly rewarding. I believe that a studio art education is unparalleled in its potential for personal achievement and future career goals. The development of thoughtful exploration of self-expression knows no bounds in its impact on the individual and the world.

Maria Villar is a professor of anthropology and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program (LALS) in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She has developed and taught many of the department’s undergraduate courses, served as chair of the anthropology department on multiple occasions, co-founded and directed the LALS program, and directed the Center for Teaching Excellence at William Paterson. Her research interests include undocumented Mexican-US migration, diversity and equity in educational settings, learning, language and cognition. She has done fieldwork among Mexican migrants in Chicago, low-income families in Puerto Rico, and school students in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Argentina. In recent years, she has conducted brief collaborative projects with ESL adult classes and high school students in the City of Paterson.       

What do you find most meaningful through your teaching?
I value connecting with students by having discussion-driven classes. I offer them background material and use this material to elicit their reaction and apply knowledge and insights to their lives. Secondly, I spend my summers preparing courses even though I have taught them for decades. I love thinking about old and new ideas, building links between different areas of expertise and making these insights accessible to students.

How does your work contribute to student success?
I incorporate many lessons and discussions related to the value of education. I strive to make students realize that they are gaining skills that not only prepare them for jobs, but also prepare them for positions of power in any job that they choose. I want them to realize that becoming “college educated” will always give them an edge.

Miryam Wahrman, biology professor, who directs a microbiology research lab in the College of Science and Health, is acclaimed for her research programs, peer-reviewed publications, and for mentoring scores of students conducting research in her lab. Professor Wahrman’s microbiology research, and her book, The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World, have garnered national and international attention from healthcare professionals, the general public, and the media, particularly during the current coronavirus pandemic. She raises awareness of the hazards of germs, and provides advice on how to reduce the risk of infectious diseases. In addition, her scholarship in bioethics, her writings as an award-winning science correspondent and her book Brave New Judaism: When Science and Scripture Collide, inspired her to develop and teach the senior and graduate level bioethics course. 

What do you find most meaningful regarding your research, scholarship and creative expression?
My current research, which focuses on bacteria on environmental surfaces, has direct applications to healthcare issues and is particularly relevant in the time of a pandemic. I have also, over the years, established interdisciplinary research projects with colleagues in the Biology, Chemistry, and Public Health departments. Students who work on these projects can see connections between disciplines and learn how important it is to work towards common goals together with professionals from other fields. My research in bioethics has also been interdisciplinary, and my work on hand hygiene has likewise involved consulting with experts in different fields, from all over the world.

How does your work contribute to student success?
Students who work with me on research projects learn the scientific method, develop skills in research design and methodology, and become more confident and comfortable in laboratory settings. These experiences help to prepare them for careers in science and healthcare. Challenging students by exposing them to bioethics issues also prepares them for the complexity of our modern world, whether they pursue careers in research, healthcare, teaching, industry or other professions.