Union in the Media

For the second time in its history, applications to Union surpassed the 5,000 mark.

The 5,064 students who applied for a spot in the Class of 2015 represent an increase of 4 percent from a year ago, when 4,874 students sought admission to Union. And this year’s applications approached the record 5,271 received for the Class of 2012.

Antonio Gutierrez '10, a member of Union's first group of Posse Scholars, was recently featured in the Boston Globe. The Posse Foundation was established in 1989 and has sites in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. It selects extraordinary young people with leadership potential who excel academically, but may be overlooked by the traditional college selection process.

Rebecca Cortez, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has co-authored papers with colleagues at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Northern Illinois University and the University of Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. “Local transport properties, morphology, and microstructure of ZnO decorated SiO2 nanoparticles,” was published in the journal Nanotechnology, and “Investigation of the drain current shift in ZnO thin film transistors” was published in the Journal of Applied Physics. The atomic force microscopy research completed at Union College for these efforts was supported by a National Science Foundation grant. Additional support for the ZnO thin film transistor characterization was provided by Union’s Faculty Research Fund.

Research Professor of Philosophy Raymond Martin will be an interviewed panelist in the New York Academy of Sciences’ six-part interdisciplinary series, “Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity and Consciousness.” Joining him on the panel are historian Gerald Izenberg and sociologist Nobert Wiley. This session, titled “Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self,” will be held in New York City Jan. 27. In addition, Martin’s review essay, “Let Many Flowers Bloom,” on historian Allan Megill’s “Historical Knowledge, Historical Error: A Contemporary Guide to Practice,” appeared in a recent issue of the journal History and Theory.

Michael Vineyard, the Frank and Marie Louise Bailey Professor of Physics and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, gave a talk titled “Rutherford Back-Scattering Experiment in the First-Year Seminar at Union College” at the 2011 winter meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers in Jacksonville, Fla. The meeting celebrated 100 years of nuclear physics that began with the discovery of the atomic nucleus in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford. Scott LaBrake, senior lecturer and accelerator manager, was co-author of the paper.

“Morning in Tunisia,” an article by Michele Angrist, associate professor of political science, appears in the current issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, which is published by the Council on Foreign Relations. Angrist is editor of “Politics and Society in the Contemporary Middle East” and co-editor of “Authoritarianism in the Middle East Regimes and Resistance.”

The recent performance of “Hijabi Monologues: The Women Under the Head Scarves,” a play that examines a simple piece of clothing and the complex reactions to it in the U.S., was mentioned in the Times Union blog, "Muslim Women."

This powerful storytelling experience is designed to create a space for American Muslim women to share experiences, use their voices and connect with others.

Michele Angrist, associate professor of political science, has a piece in the current issue of Foreign Affairs magazine about the uprising in Tunisia, "Morning in Tunisia."

Angrist is editor of "Politics and Society in the Contemporary Middle East" and co-editor of "Authoritarianism in the Middle East Regimes and Resistance."

Government Documents and Reference Librarian Donna Burton contributed her updated section of periodical reviews on “Humor” to Magazines for Libraries 19th edition, published by Proquest Info & Learning, edited by Cheryl LaGuardia, in December. This is a standard reference resource for most libraries. Burton also has published a review of an Internet government documents portal, “GovSpot,” in the January 2011 issue of Government Information Quarterly. In November, she gave a presentation on “Finding Government Documents Online” to area librarians in the Capital District Library Council’s Reference Services Interest Group.

“Emerging Models in End-of-Life Care,” an article by Rudy Nydegger, was published in the January edition of the Register Report of the Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Nydegger is professor of psychology and of management and psychology at Union Graduate College.

“Conducting Empirical Analysis: Public Opinion in Action,” by Zoe Oxley, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, and Rosalee A. Clawson of Purdue University, was published by CQ Press. The book offers instruction on how to conduct web-based data analysis using UC Berkeley’s Survey Documentation and Analysis to answer questions about party identification or attitude stability, and to measure racial prejudice and political knowledge.

Counseling Center Director Marcus Hotaling was recently featured in "Room for Debate," in which The New York Times invites knowledgeable outside contributors to discuss news events and other timely issues. Hotaling, the mental health chair of the American College Health Association, discussed how to deal with mental disorders on campus in the wake of the shootings in Tuscon, Ariz. To read his piece, click here.

Counseling Center Director Marcus Hotaling was recently featured in "Room for Debate," in which The New York Times invites knowledgeable outside contributors to discuss news events and other timely issues.

Hotaling, the mental health chair of the American College Health Association, discussed how to deal with mental disorders on campus in the wake of the shootings in Tuscon, Ariz. Hotaling joined Union in fall 2007.

Research Professor of Philosophy Raymond Martin will be an interviewed panelist in the New York Academy of Sciences’ six-part (December through May) interdisciplinary series: “Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity and Consciousness.” On the panel with Martin will be historian Gerald Izenberg and sociologist Nobert Wiley. This session, titled “Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self,” will be held Jan. 27. For more on the series, go to www.nyas.org/self. On another front, Martin's review essay, "Let Many Flowers Bloom," on historian Allan Megill’s Historical Knowledge, Historical Error: A Contemporary Guide to Practice, has appeared in a recent issue of the journal History and Theory.

Michael Vineyard, the Frank and Marie Louise Bailey Professor of Physics, Colin Gleason ’11 and Chad Harrington ’11 attended the fall meeting of the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society in Santa Fe, N.M.. The students presented posters at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates Poster Session on research performed in the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory (UCIBAL). Gleason’s poster was titled “Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission Analysis of Atmospheric Aerosols,” and Harrington presented “Ion-Beam Analysis of Airborne Pollution.” Other UCIBAL research team members that were co-authors on the posters are Scott LaBrake, senior lecturer of physics and accelerator manager, Katie Schuff ’12, Maria Battaglia ’12, Robert Moore ’12 and Colin Turley ’13. Gleason and Harrington received competitive awards for travel and lodging from the American Physical Society to attend the meeting.

Gretchel Hathaway, senior director of Campus Diversity and Affirmative Action, and Victoria Brooks, director of Religious and Spiritual Life, presented a workshop at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) fall conference on “Facing the Divides: Diversity, Learning and Pathways to Inclusive Excellence.” Their presentation, which centered on the theme, “Fostering Identity, Civility and Democratic Classrooms,” was titled “Conceptualizing Religion in Student Intellectual and Social Life.” Addressing the sensitive nature of dialogues around religion in student social and academic arenas, Hathaway and Brooks recommended strategies for developing intellectually stimulating dialogue around religious differences.

Hilary Tann’s saxophone quartet, “Some of the Silence,” is on tour in the UK, performed by the Lunar Saxophone Quartet. November saw the launch of the quartet on CD (“These Visions,” Signum Classics) at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff, Wales. “Some of the Silence” is inspired by a John Stevenson haiku: A deep gorge / some of the silence / is me. In addition, there will be an all-Tann concert March 2 at the Eastman School of Music Women in Music 2011 Festival (http://www.esm.rochester.edu/wmf/). Tann is the John Howard Payne Professor of Music.

William Finlay, chair of the Theater and Dance Department, choreographed the fights in “A Christmas Story,” which recently ended a six-week run at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. This stage adaptation of the modern movie classic, based on the book by Jean Shepherd, was by Philip Grecian.

Jennifer Matsue participated in the recent Society of Ethnomusicology conference in Los Angeles, where she organized and chaired the session, “Taiko: Transforming Tradition in Contemporary Japanese Performance at Home and Abroad,” and delivered the paper, “Beating to One's Own Drum: Establishing a Tradition of Taiko Drumming in Kyoto.” She was elected as incoming chair of the Popular Music Section of the society, the largest national organization devoted to the study of popular music.

Work by Christine Henseler, associate professor of Spanish and Hispanic studies, was recently referenced in The Washington Post’s “The Leadership Playlist” as a “must see.” In addition, Henseler’s article, “Spanish Mutant Fictioneers: Of Mutants, Mutant Fiction and Media Mutations,” is included in the December issue of CiberLetras.

A flash fiction work by Kimmo Rosenthal, professor of mathematics, was accepted for publication in the literary magazine decomP. The Old Topology consists of only one sentence.

Jennifer Matsue, professor of music, attended a retreat on “Music, Social Justice and Resistance” in Tiverton, R.I. Sponsored by Tufts University, the conference brought together musicians, activists and scholars to explore how to “leverage our research, teaching, performance and activism to develop and intensify social justice initiatives with local and global impact." Plans are underway to encourage voting through music performance and song ("Imagine Then Vote!"), and Matsue will continue to work with Tufts faculty as they develop a Music and Advocacy Center.

An article by Rudy Nydegger, professor emeritus, was published in the Journal of Applied Business Research. “The Psychology of Work: Changes in the 21st Century” was co-authored by his daughter Colby Enides.

Submit your news to gowanc@union.edu.

An essay by Anastasia Pease, senior lecturer in English, was published in Quintessential Wilde. “Two Mysterious Portraits: Gogol and Wilde on Art and Artists,” is a comparative literature project that focuses on two stories of haunted portraits — Oscar Wilde’s “Picture of Dorian Gray” and Nikolai Gogol’s “The Mysterious Portrait.” Through a close textual analysis, the essay explores how Gogol’s and Wilde’s stories reflect on the power of art, the role of artists, the relationship between art and money, and the mysteries of talent and inspiration. Pease will also give a talk, “The Many Words for Love: A Literary Journey,” at the Torch Club in Schenectady on Feb. 9.

Angela Committo, visiting assistant professor of classics, presented a paper, “Extensive Survey in the Region Around Vani,” at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Toronto. She detailed the results of an archaeological survey of the landscape around Vani, one of the most important ancient sites in the western Republic of Georgia.

An article by Stacie Raucci, associate professor of classics, was published in the volume, “Starz Spartacus: Reimagining an Icon on Screen.” The piece was titled “Social Dynamics and Liminal Spaces.”

Jillmarie Murphy, associate professor of English, was recently awarded a Maine Women Writers Collection Research Grant. She will travel to the University of New England's Josephine S. Abplanalp Library, where she will conduct archival research on her project, "Gendered Place Attachments and Nature as a Restorative Environment in Celia Thaxter's Among the Isles of Shoals." During her stay, Murphy will also visit Thaxter's childhood home on Appledore Island, the largest of the Isles of Shoals, located off the Maine/New Hampshire coast.

Scott Kirkton, associate professor of biology, was an author on a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in New Orleans. “The Secret Societies Living Within an Acorn: Temnothorax Ant Colonies Visualized with X-ray Microtomography" was a collaborative project with researchers from Providence College, using Union’s new micro-CT machine.

Two faculty from the Department of Physics and Astronomy presented at the January 2017 American Astronomical Society meeting in Grapevine, Texas. Rebecca Koopmann '89, professor and chair of the department, presented, "Star Formation in Undergraduate ALFALFA Team Galaxy Groups and Clusters," and Gregory Hallenbeck, visiting assistant professor, presented, "The Gas in Virgo’s 'Red and Dead' Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies."

Submit your news to gowanc@union.edu.