Our Distinguished Faculty

Union places great emphasis on teaching, and our faculty members have been chosen in large part for their love of teaching. Union professors act as thought leaders, mentors, advisors and, very often, lifelong friends. They're dedicated to helping you discover your passions by getting to know the person behind the student. And because we have no teaching assistants here, you'll have ample opportunity to get to know them as well.

Our faculty are also active scholars and researchers. Most pursue cutting-edge research alongside their teaching, often in collaboration with students. As a Union student, you might work with Professor of Physics Seyfollah Maleki on his scientific approach to art restoration and conservation, or study the participation of Fijian Pentecostals in global networks with Professor of Anthropology Karen Brison, or perhaps assist Professor of Biology Leo Fleishman in understanding how sensory systems and the environment affect animal communication signals. Our professors' interests are as varied as yours.

Faculty Awards & Accomplishments:

<b>Cay Anderson-Hanley</b>, assistant professor of psychology, drew international attention for her study showing that older individuals who exercise using interactive video game features experience greater cognitive health benefits than those who rely on traditional exercise alone. Dozens of news outlets, from CNN and Time to the Telegraph of London, reported on Anderson-Hanley's findings, which appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

<b>Takashi Buma</b>, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, was awarded a three-year, $240,000 CAREER grant from the NSF. Funded through the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Biophotonics program, the project <i>Wavelength Agile Photoacoustic Microscopy for Video-Rate Functional Imaging,</i> advances Buma’s research goals while giving new opportunities to undergraduates to conduct research.

<b>Samuel Amanuel</b>, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, was awarded a $12,753 Research Initiation grant through the Cornell University- NASA New York Space Grant Consortium. Building upon the College’s existing Space Grant program, Amanuel’s project, <i>Specific Heat Capacity Measurements of Physically Confined Heat Transfer Fluids in Nano Porous Silica,</i> will advance research and research training endeavors.

<b>Robert Olberg</b>, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of Life Sciences, received a $21,521 award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research supplement for his project <i>The Neuronal Control of Flying Prey Interception in Dragonflies</i>.

<b>Ronald Bucinell</b>, professor of mechanical engineering, continues his research collaboration with Ecovative Designs LLC and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute through a $38,000 subaward under Ecovative Designs' prime grant award. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is titled <i>Using Mycelium as a Matrix for Binding Natural Fibers and Core Filler Materials in Sustainable Composites</i>.

<b>Donald Rodbell</b>, professor of geology, was awarded $44,294 through the NSF Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research program, under the Division of Earth Sciences. His collaborative project with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Minnesota-Duluth, titled <i>Seismic Survey of Lake Junin, Peru in Preparation for Deep Drilling,</i> generated critical site survey information for planned deep drilling of Lake Junin, sponsored by a grant from the International Continental Drilling Program.

<b>Robert Baker</b>, the William D. Williams Professor of Philosophy and director of the Ethics Across the Curriculum Program, was appointed to the UNESCO Scientific Committee on Bioethics Education, which arranges worldwide conferences and workshops on biomedical ethics issues. Baker’s paper on global bioethics was selected for presentation at the International Association of Bioethics' 11th World Conference in The Netherlands.

<b>Ann Anderson</b>, the Agnes S. MacDonald Professor of Mechanical Engineering, <b>Brad Bruno</b>, the Thomas J. Watson, Sr. and Emma Watson Day Associate Professor and chair of Mechanical Engineering, and <b>Mary Carroll</b> ’86, professor of chemistry, received a $298,677 NSF continuing grant in support of their interdisciplinary research project, <i>RUI: Catalytic Aerogel Materials</i>.

A study by <b>Joshua Hart</b>, assistant professor of psychology, and <b>Daniel Burns</b>, professor of psychology, linking an awareness of mortality to a contemplative state, appeared in Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. The researchers conducted three separate experiments to see if there was a cognitive benefit to thinking about death. They found that harboring “deep thoughts” may help people process information better, which in turn could enhance memory.

<b>James de Sève</b>, visiting assistant professor of film studies, toured the country with his feature-length documentary, <i>ManDove</i>, created with Kian Tjong. The film, which chronicles the ancient mystical art of Perkutut (zebra dove) competitions, was screened at several universities and the Flaherty Film Seminar in New York City.

<b>Sandra Wimer</b>, printmaker and senior artist in residence, was selected for inclusion in the 2012 Mohawk-Hudson Regional, one of the country’s longest-running regional art exhibitions.

<b>Brenda Johnson</b>, professor of mathematics, received a $30,000 grant from the NSF to support participation from institutions in the U.S. at the Fourth Arolla Conference on Algebraic Topology.

<b>Nicholas Webb</b>, visiting assistant professor of computer science, received a $10,000 grant through the Microsoft Research–National Center for Women and Information Technology Academic Alliance Seed Fund Award program.

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Consider the following facts:

96% of our faculty hold the highest degree in their fields
Union's student-faculty ratio is 10:1
The average introductory course has just 20 people; the average upper-level course, 11
Our faculty regularly receive prestigious grants and awards from such organizations as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement and many others