Distinguished Faculty & Librarian Awards

Dr. Phoebe (Jen) Lin’s area of research specialization is in social cognition focusing on attitudes, prejudice, and social influence. She has conducted research on attitude-behavior consistency, stereotypes, and role model influence on health outcomes. Since arriving at Framingham State in 2014, she has published 10 peer-reviewed manuscripts and two book chapters that were included in an edited volume.

Much of Dr. Lin’s research has focused on improving teaching and assessment of marginalized social groups. As an associate professor, she has published on the following topics: benefits of asynchronous learning; using inclusive teaching strategies to better empower and affirm BIPOC students; creating an inclusive organizational culture to support BIPOC women in academia; and how white individuals can better support BIPOC individuals (both students and colleagues) through allyship and anti-racist practices.

Dr. Lori Bihler has been teaching in the History Department at Framingham State University since 2012. Since her arrival at FSU, Dr. Bihler has proven herself to be an indispensable and indefatigable contributor to both the History and Education Departments, as well as to the wider campus community that she has represented on numerous occasions at the state level.

Her service to the History Department includes taking on the role as Library Liaison, and serving on the department undergraduate curriculum committee, where she has spearheaded anti-racist and equity-minded initiatives. She has been an active participant on the Graduate Education Council.

Dr. Bihler has effectively represented FSU at the state level and beyond through her service as Vice President and Executive Board Member of the New England History Teachers Association, a member of DESE’s Advisory Panel for History and Social Science Assessment, and as a member of the Civics Education Advocacy Group.

Dr. Alexander (Sandy) Hartwiger has been teaching in the English Department at Framingham State University since 2013. His teaching and research interests include Contemporary World Literature, Postcolonial Studies, Literature and Human Rights, and Cosmopolitan Pedagogy.

Dr. Hartwiger is one of four English faculty members responsible for supervising FSU’s student teaching candidates during their teaching practicum semester at area high school and middle schools. In this role, he draws on his own past experience as a middle school teacher as well as his deep interest in the art and science of teaching. His colleagues describe him as a creative and engaging teacher devoted to challenging students and helping them discover and gain confidence in their voice and ability.

Dr. Lorianne DiSabato’s teaching and research interests include American Literature, Nature Writing, Creative Nonfiction, Rhetoric and Composition. In her role as a visiting lecturer in the English Department, she has had a profound impact on first-year students, teaching countless sections of Composition I and II. She also teaches innovative 100-level literature courses, such as English 111, Reading Literature, and English 150, Rebels and Revolution, which met the general education cap of 30 students, turning disappointed students away.

Colleagues admire DiSabato for her student-centered pedagogy, which trusts students with big issues and effective learning strategies, and her contagious humor, which puts everyone in her classroom at ease.

Dr. Ella Karat is best known for promoting a love for marketing and branding in her classroom. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, she worked for top 20 global advertising agencies and handled clients that are Fortune 100 companies such as Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, MasterCard, Pfizer, MSD, Bayer and Nestle to name a few.

Karat is multilingual and multicultural, having lived and worked on three continents. Courses she has taught at FSU include Marketing Principles; Advertising and Promotional Strategy; Brand Management; Consumer Behavior; and International Marketing. In the classroom, she maintains high expectations of her students and supports their success using assignments that appeal to different learning styles.

Dr. Demetrios Brellas received his Ph.D. in Archaeology from Boston University in 2016. His research relies on the interpretation of animal remains from archaeological sites to understand the complex interactions between humans, animals and their environments in the past. His graduate work focused on the socioeconomic role of wetland environments and their resources in ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.

Brellas is passionate about teaching, having worked as a K-12 teacher and tutor prior to pursuing a graduate level career in archaeology.

Dr. Lisa Savini has been an integral part of the Department of Chemistry and Food Science at Framingham State since 2000. Despite being a non-tenure track professor, she is the longest standing member of the department and developed the curriculum for the lecture and labs for Chemistry 103, Introductory Chemistry, and Chemistry 201, Introductory Organic and Biochemistry.

Colleagues applaud her kindness and nurturing attitude toward students, even as she holds them to ambitious standards. She expects students to give their best work, which is important in entry level courses to help set the tone for subsequent college courses.