Posted on Aug 31, 2006

A photographer for the Times Union in Albany who documented the trip to New Orleans by 29 Union College students and two staff members to help victims of Hurricane Katrina has won first place in a statewide photography contest.

Michael P. Farrell took top honors in the New York State Associated Press Association's annual contest in the category of “Photo Essay or Series.” Farrell and Times Union writer Tom Keyser went to the devastated city with the group from Union last year.

Students rebuilt schools in a district where families had moved back yet buildings were uninhabitable because of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The group, which included Todd Clark, director of residential life, and Viki Brooks-McDonald, campus Protestant minister and interfaith chaplain, volunteered as part of an alternative winter break.

As one New Orleans school administrator wrote in a letter praising the group, “[Union students] uplifted our spirits with their youthful joy and exuberance… we know that there is a lot wrong with our country and its educational system, but the students of Union give us hope.”

The photos that accompanied a story of the trip appeared in the Times Union Dec. 11, 2005. To view a gallery of the pictures, go to http://timesunion.com/specialreports/hurricane/ and then to “Lessons in the Ruins.”

Farrell will be honored at the NYSAPA annual meeting Sept. 21 in Albany.

Posted on Aug 31, 2006

Andy Rapoff, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, presented “Image-Based Measure of  Torsional  Stiffness of  Skeletal Elements: Incorporating Tissue  Inhomogeneity with Cross-Sectional Geometry and Its Implication for Comparative Biomechanics” at the annual spring meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Anchorage, Alaska. The work was co-authored by Mechanical Engineering graduate Ben Brown '06 and David Daegling of the University of Florida. 

Posted on Aug 31, 2006

Seventeen works from Saratoga by Martin Benjamin, professor of art, were featured in the exhibition, “Equus Vita” at Exposed Gallery of Art Photography in Delmar, N.Y. Three of Benjamin's works from Cuba were included in the Mohawk Hudson Region Juried Exhibition at the University at Albany. Founded in 1936, the regional is among the longest-running regionals in the country. This year's juror was New York-based art critic, essayist and independent curator Lilly Wei.

Posted on Aug 31, 2006

Through Oct. 15

Mandeville Gallery

Nott Memorial

Chester Alan Arthur: The Elegant President

Historical exhibition focuses on Arthur, Union Class of 1848, and his work redecorating the White House with renowned stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany; a reception is set for Thursday, Sept. 28, 5-7 p.m.

Sept. 8 – Nov. 3

Burns Atrium Gallery

Arts Building

“Stephen Pentak: Recent Paintings”

Seven large oil paintings on panel and six oils on paper, completed over the last year by Pentak, Union Class of 1973. The artist will give a gallery talk Thursday, Oct. 19, at 3:30, with a reception on Friday, Oct. 20, 5-7 p.m.           

Posted on Aug 31, 2006

The faculty welcomed 18 new colleagues this week. They include (with the remainder to be noted next week):

ANTHROPOLOGY: Derick Fay, visiting assistant professor, earned his Ph.D. in sociocultural anthropology from Boston University and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley. He has held teaching positions at Colby College, Keene State College, Boston University and Tufts.

BIOLOGY: Jeffrey Corbin, assistant professor, holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has held positions as research scientist, lecturer and postdoctoral associate/lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley. His research interests include plant community/ecosystems interactions; mechanisms of species effects on nutrient cycling; impact of exotic species invasions; and conservation and restoration of California grasslands. Scott Kirkton, assistant professor, holds a Ph.D. from Arizona State University. His professional experience includes an NIH postdoctoral fellowship and teaching positions at Arizona State and Denison University. His research interests include comparative physiology, and developmental physiology of insect respiratory systems and locomotory performance.

CHEMISTRY: Laura MacManus-Spencer, assistant professor, holds a Ph.D. in analytic environmental chemistry from the University of Minnesota with a dissertation, “Chemiluminescent Probes for the Detection of Singlet Oxygen.” Her teaching interests include increasing the cross-disciplinary nature of chemistry; using inquiry-based methods and student-designed experiments to teach analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis; and teaching general chemistry from an environmental perspective.

COMPUTER SCIENCE: Brendan Burns. instructor, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His dissertation was titled, “A Utility-Guided Approach to Robotic Motion Planning.” He has taught at his alma mater as well as at Smith and Bennington colleges. His primary research interest is autonomous robotics.

ECONOMICS: Lewis Davis, assistant professor, earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a dissertation titled, “Three Essays on Endogenous Specialization and Economic Development.” He has held teaching positions at UNC-Chapel Hill, Smith College, University of New Hampshire and State University of New York College at Oswego.