Posted on Apr 23, 2004

Arthur Agatston, author of the best-selling
South Beach Diet, said that as a
society of “big bellies,” we must change not just what we eat, but the very way
we produce food.

Agatston, whose son Evan is a
freshman at Union, spoke to more than 300 people in the
Nott Memorial on April 22, part of the Perspective on the Nott series.

He touched on the causes of obesity
and what he is doing to change the trend of Americans consuming large portions
of processed foods and chemically farmed meats – what he called the “bad carbs
and bad fats.”

He and his wife, Sari, came from Miami
Beach to visit Evan and give the talk. He also signed
copies of the book after his talk.

Agatston, who grew up on the north
shore of Long Island but has been living and practicing cardiology in Miami
Beach since graduating from N.Y.U. School of Medicine, joked about coming to
Schenectady in April rather than January. “We have thinner skin than you
northerners,” he said.

While walking to the Nott with a
group of students and staff, Sari Agatston admired the tulips in bloom and spoke
highly of Evan's decision to attend Union. “We looked at
many small liberal arts colleges, and Union turned out
to be the perfect match,” she said, noting that one of their first visits was
on “one of those fall days at Union that makes it an
easy decision.”

On the heels of the huge success
of his South Beach Diet, Agatston
said he is collaborating with schools in South Florida
to pilot new breakfast and lunch menus as well as working with food companies
on test recipes for a future line of convenience foods. “The food industry has
the technology to maintain the fibers and use the right ingredients,” he said,
unlike most convenience foods now in stores.

“This success leads me to a unique
opportunity to change the way America
eats,” Agatston said. “The long-term health of our society really is at stake.”

Agatston urged the audience to eliminate
so-called “trans fats,” often listed on labels as hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated oils and steer clear of the high carb/low fat diets advocated by
the American Heart Association in past years. “We can't afford to continue to
[medically] treat the population of the United
States with a horrible diet,” he said.

Posted on Apr 23, 2004

You
will never hear Rube Goldberg's name and “labor-saving” uttered in the same
sentence. The 2004 Rube Goldberg Competition, held annually in tribute to the
cartoonist who eschewed Thoreau's admonition, “Simplify, simplify,” will begin
at 8:30
a.m., Saturday,
April 24, in Memorial Fieldhouse.

Sponsored
by Union's Engineering program, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, GE Elfun Society, and
the Schenectady Museum, this year's task will be to remove a four-inch pie
(flavor optional) from its packaging, place it on a plate, and apply whipped
cream (or non-dairy product for those on low-fat diets). The machines must take
20 or more steps, use a minimum of five different forms of energy, and
demonstrate engineering and scientific know-how, creativity, and whimsy. They
also must operate within the dimensions of five feet in height, width, and
depth.

Teams
of middle and high school students statewide and from Vermont, will vie in what may be called the
Olympics of Redundancy. In past years, the tasks have included sticking a stamp
on a letter, sharpening a pencil, making a baloney sandwich, and opening a bag
of M&Ms.

For
more details, visit http://engineering.union.edu/me_dept/rube/

Posted on Apr 23, 2004

Think of it as Union's “Dream
Team.”

A team of Union
College alumni, including some of
the all-time legends of Union basketball, will match up with the Harlem Wizards on
Sunday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in
Memorial Fieldhouse. Doors will open at 1 p.m.

The game, billed as “Trick Hoops,
Alley Oops and a Whole Lot More,” is also aimed at recruiting matches for the
College's Big-Brothers and Big-Sisters program.

Tickets are free for children
under 18 and for “Big-Little” matches. Adult admission is $5. Tickets will be
available at Reamer Campus
Center and at the door.

The alumni team includes Ramsey
Baker '93, Kevin Bartlett '85, Gerry Brescia '90, Robin (Romer) Chudy '92,
Brendan Chudy '93, Ken Evans '94, Kurt Fox '88, Kim Mangino '86, Pete Melito
'00, Ron Prior '92, Katie Smith '02, Jim Tedisco '72 and George Tiggle '98. The
team will be coached by Bob Pezzano '72.

The game, sponsored by Union's
Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, will feature a host of on- and off-court
antics and a meet-and-greet with the players.

“This will be a great time for
basketball fans of all ages, and a good event to unite the campus and local
communities,” said Doug Bush, a Union
College junior who is president of
the College's chapter of Big Brothers and Big Sisters. “But the real winners
are the kids who benefit from Big Brothers and Big Sisters. We want to use this
event to let people know how fun it is to be a 'Big.' And with a small
investment of time, a 'Big' can make a huge difference in the life of a
'Little.'”

Union
College's Big Brothers-Big Sisters
program, with more than 65 matches, is one of the largest college programs in
the country. But not every child who applies can get a match, Bush said, adding
that there is a waiting list for both “Littles” and “Bigs.”

The Harlem Wizards have been
thrilling audiences for over four decades. The team has been the playground for
some of the NBA's greatest legends and the training ground for some of the
games most flamboyant basketball entertainers. Two NBA Hall of Famers and “Top
50 Greatest Players of All Time” donned Harlem Wizard uniforms: former Phoenix
Sun Connie Hawkins, and former Boston Celtic Nate “Tiny” Archibald.
Current Harlem Wizards like Eric “Broadway” Jones and James “Speedy” Williams
are known to a wide audience after appearing in the Nike freestyle TV ad
campaign and the 2001 MTV Music Awards. Wizard role models like “Tojo”
Henderson and “Tex” Barnwell, who started with the Wizards in the 1970's, still
share their passion for the Wizards' mission and appear regularly in games.

The game is made possible by
funding from the Union's Social Enrichment Grant and the president's office.

Posted on Apr 23, 2004

Richard Bopp, an expert on the PCB
contamination of the Hudson River, will speak on
“Mercury Deposition in New York
and New Jersey: From Geochemistry
to Policy” on Thursday, April 22, at 7 p.m.
in the Nott Memorial.

His talk, which is free and open
to the public, is sponsored by the College's Environmental Studies Program, the
Environmental Awareness Club and the Minerva Committee.

Bopp, associate professor of earth
and environmental sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, studied
chemistry as an undergraduate at MIT, and has a Ph.D. in geology from Columbia
University. For the past 20 years
he has conducted research on various aspects of contaminant geochemistry in the
Hudson River, its tributaries, and other natural waters
of the Hudson Basin.

His research group at RPI uses
analysis of dated sediment cores to study the sources and distribution of PCBs,
pesticides, dioxins, PAHs, and trace metals. They also study atmospheric
deposition of contaminants, and in situ dechlorination of PCBs.

Bopp has been involved in several
major contaminant issues including the PCB problem in the Hudson,
dioxins in Newark Bay,
and disposal of contaminated dredge spoils.

His talk is the last in the
College's Environmental Studies lecture series titled “Environmental Science
and Public Policy.” Environmental advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opened the
series. Orrin Pilkey, an authority on the protection of coastlines, also spoke.

Posted on Apr 23, 2004

Ann Anderson, Thomas J. Watson Sr.
and Emma Watson-Day Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is one of
four area women to be recognized for achievement in science and technology.

She was honored at Mohawk Pathways
Council's annual Juliette Low Dinner on Tuesday, April 20, at the Glen
Sanders Mansion.

Anderson, who is chair of the
department, earned her bachelor's degree from Tufts
University and her master's and
Ph.D. from Stanford. She joined Union in 1992.

Anderson
has been extremely active with the College and in outside professional
organizations. She has received numerous grants and been published in several
magazines, journals and other publications.

Robert Balmer, dean of engineering
and computer science, nominated Anderson
for the award. He said, “Under Ann's well-respected leadership, the
College's enrollment in mechanical engineering has grown, and she is clearly a
role model for all students, and particularly for young women interested in
engineering.”

Anderson
was a founder of the College's Aerogel Lab, a collaborative project between
mechanical engineering and chemistry that has generated a number of
undergraduate research projects. Aerogels, ultra-light matrix materials that
are excellent insulators, are gaining widespread use in aerospace and medicine.

The other honorees are Barbara
Brabetz, assistant professor of biology and chemistry, SUNY Cobleskill; Anne
LaRoche, manager, technology and information systems, Lockheed Martin, KAPL;
and Danielle Merfeld, manager of semiconductor technology laboratory, GE Global
Research Center.

Each year Girl Scouts recognizes
women who have pursued a vision that has impacted the community positively,
serve as role models for girls and women and demonstrate concern for their
advancement, display leadership, and embody the values of girl scouting. Girl
Scouts is encouraging girls to pursue careers in math, science, and technology
through their “Girls Go Tech” initiative.