Posted on Apr 1, 2009

Reappointment review committees have been formed for nine assistant professors: Jeff Corbin, biology; Scott Kirkton, biology; Laura MacManus-Spencer, chemistry; Brian Peterson, history; Erika Nelson, modern languages; Michele Ricci Bell, modern languages; Cay Anderson-Hanley, psychology; Chris Chabris, psychology; and Fernando Orellana, visual arts.

Members of the campus community are invited to offer written or oral testimony to committee members. Committees (with chairs listed first) are:

Corbin: Steve Horton, biology (hortons@union.edu); Steve Rice (biology); Barbara Boyer (biology)

Kirkton: Rob Lauzon, biology (lauzonr@union.edu); Rob Olberg (biology); Leo Fleishman (biology)

MacManus-Spencer: Mary Carroll, chemistry (carrollm@union.edu); Michael Hagerman (chemistry); Joanne Kehlbeck (chemistry)

Peterson: Teresa Meade, history (meadet@union.edu); Mark Walker (history); Andy Feffer (history)

Nelson: Vicki Martinez, modern languages (martinev@union.edu); Christine Henseler (modern languages); Daniel Mosquera (modern languages)

Ricci Bell: Charles Batson, modern languages (batsonc@union.edu); Pilar Moyano (modern languages); Megan Ferry (modern languages)

Anderson-Hanley: Suzie Benack, psychology (benacks@union.edu); Dan Burns (psychology); Steve Romero (psychology)

Chabris: Linda Stanhope, psychology (stanhopl@union.edu); Dan Burns (psychology), Ken DeBono (psychology)

Orellana: Louisa Matthew, visual arts (matthewl@union.edu); Walter Hatke (visual arts); Chris Duncan (visual arts)

Posted on Apr 1, 2009

Jennifer Milioto Matsue, professor of music, anthropology and East Asian studies, has been awarded a prestigious $35,000 fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies to complete a book about identity and meaning within contemporary Japan music scenes.
 
The year-long fellowship will fund her field research in Kansai, Japan, beginning in January.

“My project will compare traditional and popular music styles found today in Japan and offer new approaches to the study of identity and meaning in music,” Matsue said.
 
Specifically, her research will deal with how varied music scenes in Japan, generated by genres such as nagauta (a type of chamber music), trance-electronica or wadaiko (Japanese drumming) share similar ideological grounding, processes of identity building, and performance practices.

Matsue’s next book will build on her previous monograph, “Making Music in Japan’s Underground: The Tokyo Hardcore Scene,” published in 2008 by Routledge. 
 
Before beginning her field work, Matsue will teach a Union term abroad in Osaka. She will return from her field study in August 2010 to complete the book and resume teaching in winter 2011.  

The American Council of Learned Societies supports “major pieces of scholarly work” in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences. The council received 1,007 applications and awarded 57 fellowships to American scholars for 2010.
 

Posted on Apr 1, 2009

Philip Poczik, director of AOP/HEOP, was a keynote speaker at the East Coast Asian American Student Union conference at Rutgers University in New Jersey in February. The nation’s premiere conference for Asian-American college students, ECAASU drew more than 1,500 influential student leaders to its annual event last year. A professional diversity trainer and storyteller, Poczik has performed stories and conducted diversity awareness and appreciation workshops for thousands of people in all age groups as well as for professional organizations, non-profits, and national conferences.

Kimmo Rosenthal, professor of mathematics, and Shelly Shinebarger, director of Student Support Services, gave a presentation at the annual Northeast Regional meeting of the National Academic Advising Association of America (NACADA). “Peer Mentors: Changing the Advising Landscape” highlighted Union’s Peer Assistants for Learning (PALs) program and discussed how to build an effective peer-mentoring program. This is the fourth year of PALs at Union and the third under the auspices of a $100,000 Mellon Foundation grant.

Christopher Chabris, assistant psychology professor, wrote a bylined piece on Bobby Fischer, the late American chess champion, for the Wall Street Journal. The piece, “Bobby Fischer Recalled,” coincided witha symposium held at the Marshall Chess Club in Greenwich Village. Chabris is a chess master. To read his article, click here (registration may be required).

A.G. Davis Philip, physics research professor, will participate in the first-ever 24-hour Webcast of the world’s top observatories Friday, April 3. “Around the World in 80 Telescopes” begins at 9 a.m. Universal Time and is accessible here to anyone with a browser supporting Flash. During the live Webcast, professional astronomers will talk about their telescopes and research, and show behind-the-scenes video of their observatories. Philip, working with Vatican Observatory astronomer Richard P. Boyle, will observe galactic and globular star clusters during the 11:35 p.m. time slot. To participate, click here. 

Andrew Morris, assistant professor of history, will speak on “Riding the Rails: the Great Depression as the Context for ‘Water for Elephants,’” Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. at the McChesney Room, Schenectady County Public Library. The program is an event of the One County, One Book 2009 community read project, with themes drawn from the novel by Sarah Gruen. It is free and open to the public.

Posted on Apr 1, 2009

Jennifer Milioto Matsue, professor of music and East Asian studies, has been awarded a prestigious $35,000 fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies to complete a book about identity and meaning within contemporary Japan music scenes.
 
The yearlong fellowship will fund Matsue’s field research in Kansai, Japan beginning in January 2010. The council received 1,007 applications and awarded 57 fellowships to American scholars for 2010, according to the award letter.

“I’m still amazed that I won,” Matsue said. “My project will compare traditional and popular music styles found today in Japan and will offer new approaches to the study of identity and meaning in music.”
 
Specifically, her research will deal with how varied music scenes in Japan, generated by genres such as nagauta (a type of chamber music), trance-electronica, or wadaiko (Japanese drumming), share similar ideological grounding, processes of identity building, and performance practices. Matsue’s next book will build on her previous monograph, Making Music in Japan’s Underground: The Tokyo Hardcore Scene, published in 2008 by Routledge.
 
The American Council of Learned Societies supports “major pieces of scholarly work” in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences, according to the group’s Web site. The council was created in 1919 by representatives of 13 separate scholarly societies who saw the new group as a “combination of America’s democratic ethos and intellectual aspirations.”

Prior to beginning field work in Japan, Matsue will teach a Union term abroad in Osaka. Matsue will return from her field study in August 2010 to complete the book. She will then resume teaching at Union in the winter of 2011.  
 
Matsue has been at Union since 2003 and completed her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago in 2003. She teaches courses in Japanese and East Asian music and culture, ethnomusicology, American music and anthropology and leads the College’s Taiko Ensemble.

Posted on Mar 31, 2009

The Office of Admissions has invited potential members of the Class of 2013 to participate in Accepted Student Days on Monday, April 6 and Monday, April 20.

“We have accepted a strong and diverse group with students representing 41 states and 41 countries,” said Matthew Malatesta, Vice President for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment. “We have already decided these students are a wonderful fit for our community; these programs give them the opportunity to see if we are a good fit for them.”

On both days, a wide range of activities are available to accepted students and their families. Students can sit in on classes, take campus tours, attend information sessions, meet with faculty and much more. About 1,000 visitors are expected over the two days.

Despite the ailing economy, the applicant pool was 4,811 – Union’s third largest. The College pledges to meet the full financial needs of all admitted students. Approximately 60 percent of Union students receive scholarship assistance, with the average scholarship totaling over $20,000.

Malatesta ultimately expects to enroll 565 students in the Class of 2013.

For an Accepted Student Days schedule and more information, click here.

Posted on Mar 30, 2009

The College hosted the first conference on the physical aspects of the Mohawk River watershed on Friday, March 27, in the Olin Center.

The daylong symposium featured about 30 presentations on topics including flooding, ecosystem analysis, water quality, sediment yield, watershed management and the future of the watershed. More than 100 participants attended, including registered scientists, engineers and other professionals and students.

The conference was organized by John Garver, Geology Department chair, and Jaclyn Cockburn, visiting assistant professor of Geology.

The Daily Gazette did a news story on the conference; in addition, the paper's outdoor columnist wrote a piece.

The conference also received coverage in the Times Union.