Christopher F. Chabris, an assistant professor of psychology, reviewed the book, "Reading in the Brain," for the Wall Street Journal.
Chabris joined Union in the fall of 2007. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University, where he was a research associate and lecturer.
To read his review, click here (registration may be required).
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Somewhere, a woman is serving time behind bars for a crime she committed. She is separated from her family, from her children, from the world she knows. The unique experiences of women like this are chronicled in one of two new exhibits opening in January at Union. “Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States,” is on display in the Mandeville Gallery Thursday, Jan. 14 through Sunday, Feb. 28.
Made up of eight linked installations, “Interrupted Life” seeks to educate viewers about the facts, problems and potential solutions surrounding imprisoned mothers. The show aims to be both a vibrant visual presentation and a pedagogical intervention that stimulates new perspectives and learning opportunities.
Some of these learning opportunities will come from events related to the exhibit, which the College is hosting in January and February. These include a screening of the film “Prison Lullabies,” lectures from regional experts, and a discussion with curator Rickie Solinger.
Solinger is an independent historian and director of WAKEUP/Arts in New Paltz. Her exhibit has been traveling since 2006 and has visited more than 24 venues in the U.S.
The second new show, curated by Denis Foley, is a forensic exhibit of alcohol-related and impaired-driving crashes in the Capital District. Running Thursday, Jan. 7 through Sunday, Jan. 31, “One Second, Everything Changes” focuses on the children and young adults impacted by these accidents.
“One Second” is presented by the Lewis Henry Morgan Institute and sponsored by the Mandeville Gallery and Schenectady County STOP-DWI program.
Events related to both new exhibits are listed below. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information, click here.
Event: Opening reception for “One Second, Everything Changes”
About: Remarks by Denise Cashmere, Schenectady County STOP-DWI coordinator; Robert Carney, Schenectady County District Attorney; Denis Foley, curator; and Lisa Savard, mother of crash victim
Date: Thursday, Jan. 7
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Place: Nott Memorial
Event: “Prison Lullabies” screening
About: In conjunction with “Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States." The film chronicles four women struggling with drug addiction, indicted for dealing and prostitution, and serving time in New York’s Taconic Correctional Facility. All four give birth behind bars in the facility, one of only five in the country with a nursery and a program that allows women to keep their babies for the first 18 months. Post-screening discussion with filmmaker Odile Isralson and Lavonne K. Jackson, one of the women featured in the film.
Date: Thursday, Jan. 28
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Reamer Campus Center
Event: “Violent Interruptions” lecture by Joshua Price and Noelle Chaddock Paley
About: In conjunction with “Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States." Price, director of the Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture Program at SUNY Binghamton, and Paley, interim director of Multicultural Life and adjunct professor of Africana Studies and Philosophy at SUNY Cortland, will speak about their research and experiences with the Broome County Jail Project.
Date: Thursday, Feb. 4
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Reamer Campus Center
Event: “Interrupted Lives in Schenectady: Stories from G and H Blocks”
About: In conjunction with “Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States." Discussion with Rev. Kathy Gorman-Coombs, counseling coordinator for YWCA-NENY, Deacon Pat Jones of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and others. Women who work with women in the Schenectady County Jail discuss the issues they encounter and share stories of the inmates they work with.
Date: Thursday, Feb. 11
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Nott Memorial
Event: Talk by Rickie Solinger, curator of “Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States”
About: Contemporary policies and politics of incarceration are a part of a national history that has constructed female sexuality, fertility and maternity as opportunities for institutionalizing racism. This has made racialized distinctions between different groups of women or mothers legal, commonplace, invisible and unobjectionable to many Americans.
Date: Thursday, Feb. 25
Time: 4 p.m., reception to follow from 5-7 p.m.
Place: Nott Memorial
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Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, always crowd favorites, will give their 18th Series performance on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.
During their upcoming recital, Finckel and Han, artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, will play Beethoven’s complete sonatas for cello and piano.
Typical engagements for the duo each year also include performances at some of the country’s most prestigious venues, including Washington’s Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institute, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Boston’s Gardner Museum and Aspen’s Harris Concert Hall. Finckel and Han have played in Mexico, Canada, Scandinavia, the Far East and Europe as well.
The pair’s wide-ranging activities also include ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed, Internet-based recording company. All 10 recordings released under the label since its establishment in 1997 have received critical acclaim. This season, ArtistLed releases its eleventh album, a recording of Schubert piano trios with violinist Philip Setzer. Setzer, like Finckel, is a member of the famed Emerson String Quartet.
Finckel and Han’s repertoire spans virtually the entire literature for piano and cello, with an equal emphasis on classic and contemporary pieces. Their commitment to new music has brought commissioned works by Bruce Adolphe, Lera Auerbach, Gabriela Lena Frank and Augusta Read Thomas to audiences around the world.
The concert is free to members of the Union community. General admission tickets cost $25, though area students may attend for $10. For a complete Series schedule, click here.
Read MoreAmid a difficult economic climate, Union received a record number of early decision applications for the Class of 2014, according to the Office of Admissions.
Early decision applications are considered at two times during the year. A total of 209 students applied in the first round, which ended Nov. 15. This marks a 10 percent increase from a year ago.
The deadline for the second round of early decision is the same as regular admission, Friday, Jan. 15. Students also have until Feb. 15 to change their regular admission application to early decision if they decide Union is their top choice. Students applying under early decision have made a commitment to attend Union if they are accepted.
The record number of early decision applications follows a summer and fall when the College saw a jump in the number of campus visitors. It also comes at a time when more high school seniors are eager to secure their spot in college early. Union fills nearly 40 percent of its incoming class through the early admissions process.
“In this economy, students are looking for great value in their college education,” said Matt Malatesta, director of Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment. “Union provides unparalleled experiences for our students through close interaction with a world-class faculty, opportunities to do research as an undergraduate, a commitment to studying abroad and an interdisciplinary approach across a wide range of academic offerings. As an admissions staff, we have worked to communicate those advantages to prospective students.”
Union is committed to meeting the full financial need of all admitted students. To assist families who may be impacted by the economic downturn, the College set aside $700,000 as a contingency fund to the financial aid budget. The average need-based scholarship at Union is $29,000 and the average merit scholarship is $10,000.
The expected size of the Class of 2014 is 565 students.
Regular decision letters will be sent at the end of March, with accepted students having until May 1 to commit.
Read MoreUnion's Russian program is included in a story in Inside Higher Ed about the popularity of Russian classes on college campuses.
The article mentions that the College has 13 students enrolled in its introductory Russian course, and is offering third year Russian for the first time in years.
To read the article, click here.
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