Posted on Oct 29, 2008

At ReUnion, on May 30, 2008, the College recognized seven alumni in engineering who serve as dynamic leaders and show a commitment to their profession and community.

The Engineering Alumni Awards were presented by Cherrice Traver, dean of engineering, and faculty members from the various departments. The Dean’s Award goes to an engineer who has brought national recognition to Union, had an eminent career, provided resources through personal or corporate support, or provided exemplary service to the college. Gold awards recognize alumni with careers spanning a decade or more. Silver awards go to those with less than 10 years service.

The 2008 recipients were:

Leslie Hill ’63, of Albuquerque, N.M., the Dean’s Award. He is retired after a 33 year career with Sandia National Laboratories, where he specialized in containment of radioactivity.

Herbert Freeman ’47 of Cranbury, N.J. the Gold Award in Electrical Engineering. He is professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at Rutgers University, and founder, president and CEO of MapText, a software for automated cartographic text placement.

Yvonne Turchetti ’02, of Red Hook, N.Y., the Silver Award in Electrical Engineering. She is manager of System p Customer Testing for IBM – Poughkeepsie’s System and Technology Group.

David Duchscherer ’67, of Grand Island, N.Y., the Gold Award in Civil Engineering. He is principal of Wendel Duchscherer Architects and Engineers, a firm nationally recognized as specialists in public transportation facilities planning and design.

Mary McKay ’98, of Ballston Spa, N.Y., the Silver Award in Civil Engineering. She is a program manager for GE’s Project Management Leadership Program, a rotational program that accelerates the development of managers across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Alexander “Sandy” Gelston ’68, of Skaneateles, N.Y., the Gold Award in Mechanical Engineering. He has been a contributor and manager in technical design, production and sales for a number of firms specializing in industrial detection products.

Smitesh Bakrania ’03, of Ann Arbor, Mich., the Silver Award in Mechanical Engineering. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan with a dissertation on Combustion synthesis of tin dioxide nanocomposites for gas sensing applications.

Posted on Oct 29, 2008

Noted civil rights attorney and author Lani Guinier, the Bennett Boskey Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, will speak Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

The talk, part of the Presidential Forum on Diversity series, is free and open to the public.

Guinier’s discussion will touch on her memoir, “Lift Every Voice: Turning a Civil Rights Setback into a New Vision of Social Justice.” She wrote the book after President Bill Clinton nominated her to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in 1993. Her name, however, was withdrawn without a confirmation hearing when her views on proportional democratic representation and voter participation stirred controversy.

Before becoming Harvard Law’s first black woman with a tenured professorship in 1998, Guinier spent 10 years as a tenured professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. During the 1980s, she was head of the voting rights project at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and she served in the Civil Rights Division during the Carter administration.

In addition to "Lift Every Voice," Guinier is the author of many well-respected works. Research she conducted at the University of Pennsylvania led to the publication of the book, “Becoming Gentlemen: Women, Law School and Institutional Change.” Guinier and her co-authors found that women were not graduating with top honors – despite the fact that women and men came to school with virtually identical credentials.

Guinier is a graduate of Radcliffe College of Harvard University and Yale Law School. She has received numerous honors, including the 1995 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, the Champion of Democracy Award, the Rosa Parks Award from the American Association for Affirmative Action and the 2002 Sacks-Freund Teaching Award from Harvard Law School.

Posted on Oct 29, 2008

Be prepared to plunge into a whirlwind world of ironic, humorous and unforgettable love predicaments when the Department of Theater and Dance presents a new twist on an old comedy.

“The Importance of Being Earnest,” the fall production at the Yulman Theater, will be set in a time period very different from the one in which it was originally performed.

The production, directed by Lloyd Waiwaiole, is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.

“The time period is changed from Oscar Wilde’s 19^th-century feel to the 1920s,” said Rachel Feingold ’12, who plays the female lead, Gwendolyn. “This is a British play, yet it is acted in the fashion and behaviors of Americans in the prohibition era.

“This makes the play very original,” she added.

Waiwaiole agrees. “It’s a little wilder,” he said, “and it’s a lot of fun. There’s the Charleston in it, and the tango. We even have live ukulele playing.”

Despite these more modern elements, the play still revolves around Wilde’s original cast of characters and their relationship-driven antics. The story focuses on the protagonist, Jack, and Gwendolyn, his romantic interest. A young woman named Cecily and her love interest, Algernon, also feature prominently.

“The play is very fast-paced and quick,” said Marc Tangvik ’09, who takes on the role of Jack. “There is a lot of irony. The situations might seem simple on the surface, but the play turns them into complex, humorous matters.”

Other students with leading parts include Maisy Bragg ’12 as Cecily and Brian Karimi ’12 as Algernon.

“I’ve got a very talented cast, and I’m very excited about it,” Waiwaiole said.

Tickets are $7 for members of the Union College community and $10 for general admission. For reservations, call the Yulman box office at 388-6545.

Posted on Oct 29, 2008

Noted civil rights attorney and author Lani Guinier, the Bennett Boskey Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, will speak Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

The talk, part of the Presidential Forum on Diversity series, is free and open to the public.

Guinier’s discussion will touch on her memoir, “Lift Every Voice: Turning a Civil Rights Setback into a New Vision of Social Justice.” She wrote the book after President Bill Clinton nominated her to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in 1993. Her name, however, was withdrawn without a confirmation hearing when her views on proportional democratic representation and voter participation stirred controversy.

Before becoming Harvard Law’s first black woman with a tenured professorship in 1998, Guinier spent 10 years as a tenured professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. During the 1980s, she was head of the voting rights project at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and served in the Civil Rights Division during the Carter administration.

Besides "Lift Every Voice," Guinier is the author of many well-respected works. Research she conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, for instance, led to the publication of “Becoming Gentlemen: Women, Law School and Institutional Change.” Guinier and her co-authors of the book found that women were not graduating with top honors – despite the fact that women and men came to school with virtually identical credentials.

A graduate of Radcliffe College of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Guinier has received numerous awards. Her honors include the 1995 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, the Champion of Democracy Award, the Rosa Parks Award from the American Association for Affirmative Action and the 2002 Sacks-Freund Teaching Award from Harvard Law School.

She is the recipient of honorary degrees from a number of schools, including Smith College, Spelman College, Swarthmore College and the University of the District of Columbia.

Posted on Oct 28, 2008