Government Documents and Reference Librarian Donna Burton contributed her updated section of periodical reviews on “Humor” to Magazines for Libraries 19th edition, published by Proquest Info & Learning, edited by Cheryl LaGuardia, in December. This is a standard reference resource for most libraries. Burton also has published a review of an Internet government documents portal, “GovSpot,” in the January 2011 issue of Government Information Quarterly. In November, she gave a presentation on “Finding Government Documents Online” to area librarians in the Capital District Library Council’s Reference Services Interest Group.
“Emerging Models in End-of-Life Care,” an article by Rudy Nydegger, was published in the January edition of the Register Report of the Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Nydegger is professor of psychology and of management and psychology at Union Graduate College.
“Conducting Empirical Analysis: Public Opinion in Action,” by Zoe Oxley, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, and Rosalee A. Clawson of Purdue University, was published by CQ Press. The book offers instruction on how to conduct web-based data analysis using UC Berkeley’s Survey Documentation and Analysis to answer questions about party identification or attitude stability, and to measure racial prejudice and political knowledge.
Counseling Center Director Marcus Hotaling was recently featured in "Room for Debate," in which The New York Times invites knowledgeable outside contributors to discuss news events and other timely issues. Hotaling, the mental health chair of the American College Health Association, discussed how to deal with mental disorders on campus in the wake of the shootings in Tuscon, Ariz. To read his piece, click here.
William B. Martin, Jr., professor of chemistry emeritus, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. He was 87.
An organic chemist whose interests ranged to environmental protection, international exchange and employment training, he taught at Union from 1953 to 1989.
He was born in Winchendon, Mass., August 31, 1923 and lived in Ashburnham, Mass. He rose to the rank of Eagle Scout and went on to serve in the Navy Air Corps from 1943 to 1945.
He attended Clark University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1948 and a master’s in 1949. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University in 1953.
At his retirement in 1989, colleague Tom Werner remarked that Martin was “hitting the tape running.” Martin had recently published in the leading chemical journal, directed the research of more students than any other department member (co-authoring conference papers with five) and had organized regional meetings of the American Chemical Society.
He served for 20 years as chairman of the student exchange with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He was one of the first two faculty members elected to the College’s Board of Trustees, serving two five-year terms.
He was active in the American Chemical Society and a member for 62 years. He co-developed Project Mercury for the eastern New York section of ACS to train underemployed and high school dropouts for employment as chemical technicians for local businesses.
He wrote or co-wrote for grants from the National Science Foundation for a gas-chromatograph mass spectrometer for the College, a federal grant for Project Mercury, and a National Institutes of Health fellowship for research in photochemistry at MIT.
He published more than two dozen papers in journals including the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Helvetica Chimica Acta, Journal of Physical Chemistry and Physiological Zoology.
Among his awards during his 36 years at Union were the Faculty Meritorious Service Award (1984), the Lehninger Award for Encouragement of Free Speech (1966), a fellowship at MIT’s School of Advanced Studies (1951-1961); and membership in Sigma Xi, the scientific research honorary (1953).
He took sabbaticals at MIT in 1959; in Zurich, Switzerland in 1967; and in Basel, Switzerland in 1974, 1981, and 1989. He had a longstanding research collaboration with the eminent Swiss chemist Fabian Gerson. During sabbaticals he translated three volumes of Applications of Heilbronner’s Huckel Molecular Model from German to English.
Retirement brought the Martins to Mascoma Lake in Enfield, N.H. where Bill was active in efforts to reduce the invasion of aquatic Eurasian millefoil, obtaining two grants to assist in the effort.
He was active in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley serving on the board for 15 years. He enjoyed biking, stamp collecting, and canoeing. Family time involved traveling, camping, hiking, games of Upwords, cards and charades. His passion for the environment led him to be politically active, working to educate elected officials and citizens about the environmental effects of their decisions.
Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Nancy C. Martin; and his children, Timothy G. Martin of Lynn, Mass., Pamela M. Havener of Goffstown, N.H., and Cynthia Hein of Fort Collins, Colo.
A memorial service is set for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. in the Dwinnel Room at Harvest Hill, 121 Mascoma St., Lebanon, N.H. An informal memorial is planned for the summer at Mascoma Lake. Donations may be sent to the Mascoma Lake Association, PO Box 9, Enfield, NH 03748 or by contacting mla@mascomalakeassociation.org.
At his request, his body was donated to Dartmouth Medical School.
Environmentally friendly hand dryers in Reamer Campus Center, freshly-squeezed orange juice and renovations to encourage more bicycle commuting are among the projects selected as winners of annual Presidential Green Grants Monday.
President Stephen C. Ainlay with some of the winners of this year's Presidential Green Grants. The grants support environmentally sustainable projects at Union. (Photo by Matt Milless)
“Sustainability is one of the critical issues of our time,” President Stephen C. Ainlay said in honoring this year’s 16 projects. They will share nearly $20,000 in grants, which support environmentally sustainable projects at Union. “These grants are not only symbolic of our commitment to sustainability, but also our commitment to thinking, connecting and acting.”
Now in its third year, the grants are administered by the College’s U Sustain Committee, made up of about 70 environmentally and socially concerned students, faculty and staff who steward the College’s sustainability initiatives.
To date, nearly $48,000 in grants have been awarded, ranging from $200 to $2,000. Past projects honored include a new paper-free bulletin board in Reamer, the launch of Campus Kitchens and an energy audit of Golub House and Fox Hall.
“President Ainlay and the College have made the firm commitment to make Union’s operations more sustainable and to have a positive impact on the environment,” said Jeffrey Corbin, professor of biology and faculty co-chair of U Sustain. “These projects make specific contributions to our own operation and many large-scale environmental issues, and they do so in a way that fulfills Union’s mission to educate the next generation of leaders.”
The 2010-11 Green Grant winners:
Eli Arnow ’11: The design and analysis of an indoor air biofiltration system
Lauren Brown ’11: Cleaning the air: Photocatalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds with Titania-silica aerogels
Bruce Connolly, librarian: “Why copy that article when you could scan it instead?” – Reducing Union’s carbon footprint one term paper at a time
Jorge Enriquez ’11: “OJ? OK!” – Bringing a sustainable orange juice supply to Union College
Kyle Lanzit ’13: Comparative study of low-flow shower heads in campus residence halls
Jacob LaRocca ’12: Reducing power consumption in the WRUC broadcasting system
Shabana Hoosein ’11: Stickers for U Sustain’s Sustainability Module
Laura MacManus-Spencer, assistant chemistry professor: Showcasing Sustainability at Union College and the community in a dynamic display at the Peter Irving Wold Center
Katharine Manko ’12: Installation of environmentally friendly hand dryers in Reamer Student Center
Victoria McIntyre ’13: Compost and U
Kelly Pearson '11, receives her Presidential Green Grant as President Stephen C. Ainlay and Jeffrey Corbin, professor of biology, look on.
Kelly Pearson ’11: Design and production of a dual-axis solar tracking system for use by the Union College Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Murphy Potter ’11: Harnessing the energy of the wind to power the new electric-powered Campus Vehicle Charging Station
John Rieffel, assistant professor of computer science: Fostering bicycle commuting: Locker room renovations in Science and Engineering
Lilla Safford-Smith ’11: The Auspen Implementation Experiment: Making Union College whiteboards more sustainable
Jodi Schwartz ’11: Using digital recognition and imaging to separate plastics thrown in a trashcan
Courtney Seymour, librarian: Efficient irrigation, enhanced harvest: Sustainability improvements for the Octopus’ Garden Organic Gardening Project, Phase II
Last spring, Union was included among the country’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review’s first “Guide to Green Colleges.” The free guide, produced in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, includes schools that have “demonstrated an above average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities and initiatives.”
In early December, Union received a major commitment to the college – a $1 million gift that will provide scholarships for students over the next four years.
The gift is from Goldman Sachs Gives, the firm’s donor-advised fund. Through Goldman Sachs Gives, the firm’s partners recommend a part of their overall compensation to non-profit and charitable organizations.
The donation was made at the recommendation of David Viniar '76, the chief financial officer of Goldman Sachs. A member of the College's Board of Trustees, Viniar is a generous benefactor to the school.
“Union College provided me with an outstanding education that was the foundation of my career,” Viniar said. “We hope this gift from Goldman Sachs Gives will help students enter and complete college and open opportunities for years to come.”
The gift will allow the College to award up to $250,000 for need-based scholarships to some members of the Class of 2014. These scholarships will continue in subsequent years until the gift is spent.
The College meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for all students. The average need-based scholarship at Union is $29,000.
“This gift allows us to help even more of our students and their families, particularly those who have been hurt by the economic downturn,” said Matt Malatesta, vice president for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment.
“For Union to continue to attract the best and brightest, it’s critical that we find ways to support students during these difficult economic times,” said President Stephen C. Ainlay. “We are extremely grateful for this gift from Goldman Sachs Gives, which will help us in our mission to make a college education more affordable for those who choose Union.”
Established in 2007, Goldman Sachs Gives enables Goldman Sachs and its people to leverage their donations to charities in the communities where they live and work, or elsewhere around the globe. The focus of this contribution is on those areas that have been proven to be fundamental to creating jobs and economic growth, building and stabilizing communities, honoring service and veterans and increasing educational opportunities.
Research Professor of Philosophy Raymond Martin will be an interviewed panelist in the New York Academy of Sciences’ six-part (December through May) interdisciplinary series: “Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity and Consciousness.” On the panel with Martin will be historian Gerald Izenberg and sociologist Nobert Wiley. This session, titled “Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self,” will be held Jan. 27. For more on the series, go to www.nyas.org/self. On another front, Martin's review essay, "Let Many Flowers Bloom," on historian Allan Megill’s Historical Knowledge, Historical Error: A Contemporary Guide to Practice, has appeared in a recent issue of the journal History and Theory.
Michael Vineyard, the Frank and Marie Louise Bailey Professor of Physics, Colin Gleason ’11 and Chad Harrington ’11 attended the fall meeting of the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society in Santa Fe, N.M.. The students presented posters at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates Poster Session on research performed in the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory (UCIBAL). Gleason’s poster was titled “Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission Analysis of Atmospheric Aerosols,” and Harrington presented “Ion-Beam Analysis of Airborne Pollution.” Other UCIBAL research team members that were co-authors on the posters are Scott LaBrake, senior lecturer of physics and accelerator manager, Katie Schuff ’12, Maria Battaglia ’12, Robert Moore ’12 and Colin Turley ’13. Gleason and Harrington received competitive awards for travel and lodging from the American Physical Society to attend the meeting.
Gretchel Hathaway, senior director of Campus Diversity and Affirmative Action, and Victoria Brooks, director of Religious and Spiritual Life, presented a workshop at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) fall conference on “Facing the Divides: Diversity, Learning and Pathways to Inclusive Excellence.” Their presentation, which centered on the theme, “Fostering Identity, Civility and Democratic Classrooms,” was titled “Conceptualizing Religion in Student Intellectual and Social Life.” Addressing the sensitive nature of dialogues around religion in student social and academic arenas. Hathaway and Brooks recommended strategies for developing intellectually stimulating dialogue around religious differences.
Hilary Tann’s saxophone quartet, “Some of the Silence,” is on tour in the UK, performed by the Lunar Saxophone Quartet. November saw the launch of the quartet on CD (“These Visions,” Signum Classics) at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff, Wales. “Some of the Silence” is inspired by a John Stevenson haiku: A deep gorge / some of the silence / is me. In addition, there will be an all-Tann concert March 21 at the Eastman School of Music's Women in Music 2011 Festival (http://www.esm.rochester.edu/wmf/). Tann is the John Howard Payne Professor of Music.
William Finlay, chair of the Theater and Dance Department, choreographed the fights in “A Christmas Story,” which recently ended a six-week run at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. This stage adaptation of the modern movie classic, based on the book by Jean Shepherd, was by Philip Grecian.
Jennifer Matsue participated in the recent Society of Ethnomusicology conference in Los Angeles, where she organized and chaired the session, “Taiko: Transforming Tradition in Contemporary Japanese Performance at Home and Abroad,” and delivered the paper, “Beating to One's Own Drum: Establishing a Tradition of Taiko Drumming in Kyoto.” She was elected as incoming chair of the Popular Music Section of the society, the largest national organization devoted to the study of popular music.
Work by Christine Henseler, associate professor of Spanish and Hispanic studies, was recently referenced in The Washington Post’s “The Leadership Playlist” as a “must see.” In addition, Henseler’s article, “Spanish Mutant Fictioneers: Of Mutants, Mutant Fiction and Media Mutations,” is included in the December issue of CiberLetras.
Seventeen young and exceptionally talented string musicians, many Marlboro-trained, will take to the stage on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel when the East Coast Chamber Orchestra – ECCO – makes its third Concert Series appearance in Memorial Chapel.
In a unique blend of orchestral ensemble power and chamber music intimacy, ECCO will perform selections by Ginastera, Shostakovich, Janacek and Corelli/Geminiani (arr. M. Wianko).
ECCO was founded in 2001 by soloists, principals in major orchestras and chamber musicians of the younger generation. All are graduates of top conservatories and music schools, including Curtis, Juilliard and the New England Conservatory, and many are Young Concert Artists and Concert Artists Guild winners.
Operating without a conductor, ECCO was built on democratic principles with a focus on pure music-making. The members’ novel approach, commitment and passion have created one of the most exciting orchestral ensembles in the world today.
“These youthful players are helping form classical music's future,” according to the Washington Post.
The ensemble’s inaugural U.S. tour in 2006, including an appearance at the Kennedy Center, was received with standing ovations and high accolades. ECCO began touring internationally in 2007 with a performance at the Seoul Music Festival and Academy in Korea. This season will mark another milestone as the group makes its first commercial recording.
Tickets are free for the Union community; $20 general admission and $8 for area students. For more information, call 388-6080 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries.
