Union in the Media

Bradley Hays, associate professor of political science, was featured on a recent episode of WAMC’s show, “Congressional Corner,” with Alan Chartock. Hays discussed Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, and his fate on the national political stage.

Samuel Amanuel, associate professor of physics and astronomy, presented three papers at the American Physical Society March meeting in Denver, Colo. “Looking for Small Changes in Heat Capacity Using Differential Scanning Calorimeter” was co-authored with physics major Will Linthicum ’14. “Phase Transition of Physically Confined 2-Decanol” was co-authored by Hillary Bauer ’12 (physics), Jargalsaikhan Dulmaa ’13 (electrical and computer engineering) Harrisonn Griffin ’16 (physics), Amer S. Khraisat ’13 (ECE) and Alexandrea Safiq ’14 (environmental studies). Amanuel and Palma Catravas, associate professor of ECE, collaborated on “IR Spectroscopy of Gasses Evolved During Roasting Coffee Beans.” This paper is co-authored by Nick Brenn ’14(ECE), Xavier Capaldi ’16 (physics), Victoria Chee ’13 (ID biology and Asian studies/Leadership in Medicine), Alexander Clain ’15 (physics), Salman Syed ’14 (chemistry and philosophy/LIM) and Shanice Wilson ’15 (mechanical engineering).

Several works by Walter Hatke, the May I. and Walter C. Baker Professor of Visual Arts, are on display at The Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, N.Y. One is an oil painting depicting a panoramic view of the Rexford Bridge and the Mohawk River. “Of Time and the River” was recently acquired by the museum and added to its permanent collection. The exhibit runs through June 1.

Rebecca Koopmann ’89, professor of physics and astronomy, was awarded another $10,000 grant through the NASA New York Space Grant Program. The grant helps support five undergraduate summer research projects and student participation at state and national meetings.

A short story, “Reading Murnane at 4 a.m. (The Consolation of Possibility),” by Kimmo Rosenthal, professor of mathematics, will be published in an upcoming edition of Prime Number, a literary magazine.

“Savoring Sicily,” a book by Jay Newman, the R. Gordon Gould ’41 Professor of Physics, was recently published. Newman talks about studying biophysics on the Mediterranean island and spreading his love for the culture, history and sights to his Union students.

A piece by Edward Summers, chief of staff in the President’s Office, was published on the Huffington Post. “Access to Higher Education” discusses college affordability and the need to keep education accessible. The article also mentions Meshach Cummings ’14. Read the story by clicking here.

Tina Lincer, associate director of Communications, will read at the Bookmarks series of The Memoir Project, a program of the Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, on March 19. The evening’s theme, curated by Albany Times Union food writer Steve Barnes, is “Eat the Past.” Lincer recently participated in two other readings at the arts center by local memoir writers.

Submit your items to People in the News by emailing Christen Gowan at gowanc@union.edu.

To kick off Week 10, Union posted a video of students, faculty and staff dancing and singing to the smash hit by Pharrell Williams, "Happy."

The clip appeared on the homepage of the Times Union and several other local media outlets. It received more than 18,000 hits the first four days.

To view the blog post from the TU, click here.

Christopher Chabris, associate professor of psychology, co-authored an essay in the Los Angeles Times with Jonathan Wai, a researcher at the Duke University Talent Identification Program and at Case Western Reserve University.

The pair looked at the hiring practices of Google. The op-ed was picked up a number of other media outlets.

To read the piece, click here.

Charles Steckler, the Dwane W. Crichton Professor of Theater, participated in a “Tartuffe mini-residency” last December at the John Sayles School of the Arts in Schenectady, presenting his work in scenic design and leading discussions with students in the theater program about the staging of Moliere’s theatrical world. He also spent a day at the Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass., presenting a portfolio of his art, design and photographic work to students in the theater and art program. His show, “Charles Steckler: Passing Time,” is currently at the Annex Gallery at Albany International Airport.

An article by Associate Professor of Economics Lewis Davis has been accepted to the Journal of Economic Education. “How to Generate Good Profit Maximization Problems” presents an algorithm for developing profit maximization problems that are “theoretically interesting, economically plausible and computationally simple. Read the article here.

Carol Weisse, professor of psychology and director of the Health Professions Program, was a featured speaker at the evening branch of the Women’s Alliance for the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady. She spoke on the challenges of end-of-life care.

March brings a full month of performances for Hilary Tann, the John Howard Payne Professor of Music. On March 2, the San Domenico Virtuoso program will feature "Water's Edge" for string orchestra. On March 3, violinist Madeleine Mitchell will perform excerpts from "Seven Poems of Stillness" at the Bangor Music Festival in Wales in a concert titled "Night and Day." Also, Tann will be the composer- in-residence at the Women in Music Festival in Hartford, Conn., which includes performances of “Shoji” and “The Walls of Morlais Castle.” Her transcription for piano and solo saxophone of her concerto for oboe and small orchestra, "Shakkei," will be performed by Chien-Kwan Lin and Pi-Lin Ni at the Vienna Saxophone Festival (Austria), Youngstown State University and the North American Saxophone Alliance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne. Her "Songs of the Cotton Grass" will be performed at Gallery 263 in Cambridge. Mass., on March 22 in an unusual concert titled "Witness," where the audience is asked to be blindfolded.

Jillmarie Murphy, assistant professor of English, published an essay on Ralph Waldo Emerson. "A National Icon" appears in Emerson in Context. (Cambridge University Press)

Christopher Chabris, associate professor of psychology, was quoted in a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek on Google Glass. Chabris talked about the “visual illusion” that the web-surfing glasses could give drivers who think they’re paying attention to the road. Read the article here.

Geology Professor John Garver was on The Weather Channel's "Waking up with Al" program this week. Garver, who has studied ice jams for years, talked with host Al Roker about a new system along the lower Mohawk River that monitors ice jams. Read more about the ice jam camera here.

Dr. Alfred Sommer ’63, a global leader in public health whose pioneering work in studying vitamin A deficiency has helped to save millions of children’s lives and eyesight, delivered the keynote address at Founders Day Thursday, Feb. 27, in Memorial Chapel. The event commemorates the 219th anniversary of the College’s charter.

To learn more about Sommer in a Times Union story, click here.

Brad Hays, associate professor of political science, was a recent guest on "Congressional Corner" on WAMC, Northeast Public Radio.

Northeast Public Radio is a member of National Public Radio serving parts of seven northeastern states. These include New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

John Garver, professor of geology, was interviewed on The Weather Channel's "Waking up with Al," program this morning. Garver, who has studied ice jams for years, talked with host Al Roker about a new system along the lower Mohawk River that monitors ice jams.

To learn more about the new system, which features a "jam cam," click here.

A crew from the popular BBC "Horizons" science documentary series was on campus last June to film a segment about a study by Christopher Chabris, associate professor of psychology. Chabris and some of his students re-enacted the "Fight Club" study to demonstrate inattentional blindness, the failure to see something unexpected because one's attention is focused on something else. The segment is part of documentary on how people make decisions. It will air in the UK this week and later in the U.S.

To view a clip, click here.

European Romantic Review recently accepted an article by Andrew Burkett, assistant professor of English, for publication. “Photographing Byron’s Hand” will appear later this year for the journal for the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism.

Donald Rodbell, professor and chair of the Geology Department, was the featured speaker at a meeting for the Hudson-Mohawk Professional Geologists Association in Albany. His talk was titled “Glaciation and Climate Change Recorded in Moraines and Lake Sediments in the Tropical Andes Mountains.”

Submit your items to People in the news to gowanc@union.edu.

The women's hockey team gathered at Messa Rink to watch the Olympic gold medal game between the United States and Canada. The U.S. team featured Julie Chu, a former assistant hockey coach at Union.

To read a story in the Daily Gazette, click here.