Samuel Amanuel, professor of physics, Anna Gaudette ’09 and Professor Sanford Sternstein of RPI have published a paper, “Enthalpic relaxation of silica-polyvinyl acetate nanocomposites” in the Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics. The authors were able to show that nano particles substantially reduce physical aging in polymers, which has immediate application in industry such as determining shelf life, and predicting and enhancing long-term reliability of polymer products. The paper also provides crucial evidence to understand the underlying mechanism of reinforcement in polymer composites and polymer nanocomposites.
An entry about fission-track dating by John I. Garver, chair of Geology, is included in the recently published Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments, V. Gornitz, (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series (Kluwer Academic Press). A process of dating the timing of rock cooling, fission track dating involves damage zones in crystals produced by the spontaneous fission of uranium. The technique is used to understand when rocks cool, which is key for the exploration of oil and gas, and to comprehend the evolution of mountain systems.
Rudy Nydegger, professor of psychology, recently signed copies of his book, “Understanding and Treating Depression: Ways to Find Hope and Help,” at the Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady.
Helen Hanson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, recently chaired a session, titled “A Quantal Transition: Ken Stevens in ‘Retirement,’” at the 156th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, in Miami. She also presented a paper, “Physical Principles Behind Quantal Relations,” at the session. Hanson attended the awards program of the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association Convention in Chicago. An article which she co-authored, “On the Structure of Phoneme Categories in Listeners With Cochlear Implants,” was selected by the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research (JSLHR) as the outstanding article of 2007 and the winner of the 2007 Editors Award for the Hearing Section of JSLHR.
Union faculty members who presented recently at the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum Conference in Baltimore, Md., were invited to contribute to an issue of the society’s journal, Teaching Ethics. The Union panel was chaired by Anastasia Pease, program director of the Rapaport Ethics Across the Curriculum Initiative and assistant professor of English,who spoke on using science fiction to teach ethics. Kelly Black, associate professor of mathematics, discussed teaching ethics in his statistics course, while Lewis Davis reviewed his “Economics of Sin” course. Hal Fried, the David L. and Beverly B. Yunich Professor of Business Ethics, gave an overview of the initial grant to the Economics Department for the Union ethics initiative. Robert Baker, the William D. Williams Professor of Philosophy, gave the introduction at the conference. Ashraf Ghaly, professor of engineering, delivered a talk, “The Collision between Cultural Norms and Engineering Ethics in the Age of Globalization,” which he was invited to submit for publication in “Teaching Ethics.”
Prism, the monthly magazine of the Amercian Society for Engineering Education, includes comments from Cherrice Traver, dean of engineering, in its cover story on how some colleges have integrated engineering into the liberal arts curriculum. "Polymers to Poetry," highlights the national symposium hosted by Union last spring, "Engineering and Liberal Education.” To view the article, click here.