Greg Hallenbeck, visiting assistant professor of physics and astronomy, Will Harney '15 and Michael Warrener '16 presented at the Fall Astronomical Society of New York meeting at RPI. Hallenbeck’s talk described his research on gas-rich galaxies: "Looking Closely at the High Mass Galaxies: High HI Mass, HI-Rich Galaxies in the Local Universe." Harney presented a poster on the results of his senior thesis, , “The Quenching of Star Formation in the Group Environment: HI Observations of Star-Forming Group Galaxies.” Harney’s thesis advisor was Professor Rebecca Koopmann. Warrener presented a poster, "Measuring Ram Pressure Induced Asymmetries in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies," describing his summer research project as a Dorrit Hoffleit Undergraduate Astronomy Research Fellow at Yale University. Warrener was one of three undergraduates chosen from across the world to be the inaugural scholars in Yale program.
Maggie Tongue, director of the Scholars Program, served on the selection panel for the Gilman Scholarship, which awards funds for study abroad students with financial need.
Hans-Friedrich Mueller, professor and chair of the Classics Department, was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Texas Classical Association in San Antonio. He delivered two lectures: “Nocturnal Rome: General Considerations and Further Clues” and “Pontifex Maximus: The Priestly Career of Julius Caesar.”
Helen Hanson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, gave a talk at the Acoustical Society of America meeting in Indianapolis. She discussed evidence that characteristics of the trachea and lungs have acoustic effects that have shaped the inventory of vowels in the world’s languages.
Christine Henseler, professor of Spanish and chair of the Modern Languages Department, was a keynote speaker at Albion College in Michigan. Her talk, “Share Everything, Pursue Brilliance, Dare to Dream: When Labs and the Humanities Meet,” was part of Albion College’s Mellon grant initiative to develop humanities labs to connect courses and communities in collaborative settings.
An exhibit featuring the work of Charles Steckler, professor of theater and designer-in-residence, is currently on display at the Schenectady Jewish Community Center in Niskayuna. “Concerning the Art of Drawings” is on display through Jan. 30.
Peter Heinegg, professor of English, led a discussion of the film “Orchestra of Exile” as part of the Schenectady Jewish Community Center’s film festival. The film chronicles how a world-renowned violinist helped save Europe’s Jewish musicians from the Nazis during World War II.
Jeffrey Corbin, associate professor of biology, was recently featured in a Times Union story about the proposed ban of plastic bags in Saratoga Springs. Corbin talked about the environmental problems that plastic bags pose, such as potential contamination to local wildlife.