People in the news - September 18, 2014

Publication Date

Thomas Lobe, lecturer in political science, traveled to Jordan and Turkey over the summer to participate in the Council on International Education Exchange seminar, “Borders, Identity and Displacement: The Evolving Syrian Crisis.” The two-week program focused on the humanitarian, legal, social and political issues raised by the Syrian conflict. After the conference, he also traveled to Lebanon to conduct research, assessing the role of the United Nations and its agencies as they attempt to assess the impact of the Syrian refugees.

An article in The Telegraph, based in Calcutta, India, detailed the talk of Jeffrey Witsoe, assistant professor of anthropology, at Jagjivan Ram Institute of Parliamentary Studies and Political Research. Witsoe discussed his book “Democracy Against Development: Lower-Caste Politics and Political Modernity in Postcolonial India.”

Lewis Davis, associate professor of economics, was a visiting scholar at the University of Perugia, Italy, in April and May, where he initiated a research project on culture and innovation in Europe. During the summer, he was a visiting professor at Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany, where he taught a masters level course, “Economics of Culture.” During his stay in Europe, Davis gave research talks at the University of Perugia, Marche Polytechnic University, the University of Bologna, Martin Luther University and the University of Groningen.

Bradley Hays, associate professor of political science, was a guest on Northeast Public Radio’s, “Congressional Corner” with Alan Chartock. The duo discussed a number of high-profile cases recently brought before the Supreme Court.

Teresa Meade, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of History and Culture, presented a paper, “From Assimilation to 'Hidden Jew': Mia Truskier in Poland and the Diaspora," at the “Crossing Borders” World Congress, University of Warsaw, in Poland. Her paper is part of a biography she is writing about Truskier, a member of a secular Jewish family who escaped from Poland in 1940, and lived out the war under semi-clandestine circumstances in Italy. Truskier eventually settled after World War II in the U.S., where she was a tireless advocate for refugees from Central America and Haiti. She was a member of the East Bay Sanctuary Board of Trustees in Berkeley, Calif. until her death earlier this year.

Chad Orzel, associate professor of physics, participated in a science writing workshop this summer in Stockholm, Sweden. He was one of several professors who taught quantum theory to science writers and journalists.

An article by David Hemmendinger, professor emeritus of computer science, is featured in the July issue of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Annals of the History of Computing. His article, “COMIC: An Analog Computer in the Colorant Industry,” is about a computer that helped bring automation to the colorant industry in the 1960s. Hemmendinger is also associate editor of the journal.

Andrew Morris, associate professor of history, moderated a discussion of the new Ken Burns mini-series, “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” on Sept. 11 at Albany City Hall. The 14-hour program is currently airing on WMHT.

Daniel Mosquera, associate professor of Spanish, attended the Tenth Biennial International/Interdisciplinary Research Conference of The Afro-Latin/American Research Association in Kingston, Jamaica this past summer. An organizer of the event, he delivered his paper, “Of Race and Litter: Afro Imagining and Trash in Brazilian Cinema and Media.” He also moderated a panel that focused on sports and race in the U.S., Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

A letter to the editor by Deidre Hill Butler, associate professor of sociology, was recently published in The Daily Gazette. The letter detailed her trip to Ferguson, Mo. to participate in a protest after the shooting death of Michael Brown. Read her letter here.