Union in the Media

By: Maura Driscoll '15

Aude Bechu ’16 is the Kenney Community Center’s Volunteer of the Week.

Bechu participated in the community service pre-orientation program, where she volunteered locally. She also volunteered at John Calvin Toll Day of Service, and is a member of the Environmental Club, Equestrian Club and the Multifaith Forum.

During winter break, Bechu worked at Pegasus, a therapeutic horseback riding center in her town. “The little things, like talking to a child on the horse and helping them steer, helped a kid achieve more independence and confidence,” she said.

Bechu is also the Kenney Center’s most dedicated member of the Homework Help after school program, where she assists local children with their work and plays games with them.

“We really appreciate Aude’s dedication to the program and that she came every week,” said Janet Sweeney, program director.

Originally from North Salem, N.Y., Bechu is a chemistry major.

Kelly de la Rocha - Daily Gazette

In 2010, Union installed three 1.2 kilowatt wind turbines near the soccer fields adjacent to College Park Hall. In addition to providing energy savings, the turbines are also used as a teaching tool.

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

To read a release on when the turbines were installed, click here.

The Scientist

Cay Anderson-Hanley, assistant professor of psychology, was recently featured in The Scientist for her research on the benefits of physical-activity video games for children with autism spectrum disorders.

To read the article, click here.

How does a writer choose words for a poem? How does a painter select color and form? What, in effect, informs a work of art?

These are among the questions raised in the new Mandeville Gallery exhibit, “Connections: Exploring the Ties Between Poet Jim McCord and Painter Bruce McColl,” which runs through Oct. 28.

The two men – McCord is professor emeritus of English, and McColl, director of the Currier Museum Art Center in Manchester, N.H. – met more than a decade ago at the Vermont Studio Center. They spent hours discussing each other’s work, sparking a friendship that would influence both the form and content of their respective artistic endeavors.

To read more about the exhibit in the Times Union, click here.

A reappointment review committee has been formed to evaluate the performance of Raik Zaghloul, Head of Collection Development, for promotion to assistant librarian.

Members of the review committee are Gail Golderman (Schaffer Library, Chair), Donna Burton and David Fuller. Members of the campus community are invited to offer written and oral testimony to committee members no later than May 1. If so desired, interviews may be arranged by contacting Gail Golderman at (518) 388-6624.

Andrea Foroughi, professor of history and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, was recently featured on Civil War Talk Radio, a program on World Talk Radio.

A new study led by Assistant Professor of Psychology Cay Anderson-Hanley shows that older individuals who exercise using the features of interactive video games experience greater cognitive health benefits than those who rely on traditional exercise alone. The study appears in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Hanley’s team of researchers, which included Union students, monitored the physiological, neuropsychological

and behavioral impact “cybercycling” had on seniors recruited from eight independent living centers in the Capital Region.

To date, dozens of news outlets from around the world, including CNN, Time and the Telegraph of London have reported on Anderson-Hanley’s findings.

For Time...

For the Times Union...

The Casper Journal recently profiled longtime benefactor John S. Wold '38, a geologist and former U.S. Congressman from Casper, Wyo. Last spring, the College dedicated the Peter Irving Wold Center, a $22 million, three-story, 35,000-square-foot research and education facility.

The Center features state-of-the-art laboratories, electronic classrooms, an advanced computing lab, study spaces and faculty offices. The Center was made possible in large part due to a lead gift from John S. Wold ’38 and his wife, Jane. The Wolds have directed more than $14 million of their original $20 million You are Union Campaign commitment to be a catalyst for the project, which is named after John Wold’s father, Peter, who chaired Union’s Physics Department from 1920 to 1945.

Dylan Ratigan '94, host of his own weekday show on MSNBC, was recently profiled in The New York Observer.

To read the article, click here.

WAMC, Northeast Public Radio

Assistant Professor Brad Hays 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.