College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

By Dave Larsen

University of Dayton climate scientist Shuang-Ye Wu was selected for Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) Class of 2023-2024.

The ELATES program is a national leadership development program to promote women in academic STEM fields, and faculty allies of all genders, into effective institutional leadership roles at their schools and universities with a demonstrated commitment to increasing the representation of women in STEM. 

The class is a prestigious cohort of 38 faculty members from 34 higher education institutions in the U.S. and Canada. The fellows include experts in biology, computer and information sciences, geology, mathematics and engineering. They were nominated by their dean or provost, and have significant administrative experience on top of their scholarly accomplishments.

Wu, professor and chair of the UD Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, was nominated by former Provost Paul Benson, who retired in July as professor emeritus and provost emeritus after 38 years at UD.

“I am very thankful to Dr. Benson and my other mentors who provided the opportunity to become an ELATES fellow, and to the provost’s office for their generous support of my participation in the program,” Wu said. “I am very honored and excited to be part of this cohort of outstanding women STEM leaders.”

The intensive full-year, part-time fellowship program includes three in-residence sessions in the Philadelphia area to enhance knowledge and skills in business practices of higher education, project management with diverse stakeholders, and effective communication in a variety of leadership platforms.

“As chair of a department in transition from traditional geology to modern environmental geosciences, I hope to use what I learn in this fellowship program to enhance our department's impact on developing and delivering a transformative science education for students who want to make a difference to protect the environment and build a sustainable future,” Wu said.

Wu’s research in climate modeling has made her an acknowledged international expert in analyzing current changes in climate and also those of the past. She holds a doctoral degree from Cambridge University in England. She received the SOCHE Faculty Excellence Award in Scholarship in 2019, the UD College of Arts and Sciences’ Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship in 2020 and the University Faculty Award for Scholarship in 2020.

Her grants and sponsored research total more than $2.1 million and include funding from the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, University of Dayton Research Institute, and Hanley Sustainability Institute.

In May 2022, Wu and UD Assistant Professor of Geology Zelalem Bedaso, an isotope geochemist, were awarded a three-year, $308,799 National Science Foundation grant to establish a link between rain-producing climate patterns and water supply in the Horn of Africa region, which includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. In 2019, the pair published a study in the Hydrological Science Journal about the future sustainability of the Dayton region’s groundwater.

Launched in 2012, the ELATES program has graduated more than 150 from more than 64 sponsoring institutions. University of Dayton Associate Professor of Biology Yvonne Sun was in last year's ELATES’ class.

“The College of Arts and Sciences is proud to have its second consecutive fellow in this year’s ELATES class,” said Danielle Poe, College dean. “Shuang-Ye’s selection speaks to the strength of our STEM women faculty, as well as the significance of her research and scholarship for a world facing climate change.”

To learn more about the ELATES program, visit ELATES online at Drexel.edu/ELATES.

For more information about geosciences at UD, visit the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences website.

Photo: Shuang-Ye Wu (center), professor and chair of the UD Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, with colleagues Zelalem Bedaso (right) and Umesh Haritashya.