Posted on Aug 1, 2002

It was math that led her to the heart, and it was Union that led her to math.

Colleen Clancy '94, a postdoctoral research scientist in Columbia University's Pharmacology Department, is now working on mathematical modeling of defects in the human heart-specifically, structure-function relationships in cardiac ion channels.

Clancy completed her Ph.D. in physiology at Case Western Reserve University last year (for research linking a genetic defect to a particular kind of arrhythmia), and later was profiled in an issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education as a “rising star, a Ph.D. to watch.” The newspaper cited her research, her independent thinking (she was principal author of a paper published in Nature-a rarity for someone who hadn't yet finished the Ph.D.), and her community service.

A few short years ago, as a Union undergraduate, Clancy majored in math and biology, and in her senior year she did an independent project with Professor Michael Frame.

“After graduating, we continued to work together and expanded our research to think about time series data (which could be anything that varies in time, like the stock market or rainforest temperatures, etc.),” she says. “We decided to focus on abnormal cardiac rhythms by exploring electrocardiogram (ECG) data as time series.

“We wanted to use these nonlinear time series to drive an iterated function system that generates geometrical data sets that may (or may not) contain obvious patterns,” she continues. “In this way, we could try to understand if there was an underlying determinism to the system, or if it was indeed random, as it appeared to be. The goal would then ultimately be to provide input to the system and try to control the behavior, say by pushing an abnormal rhythm into a normal rhythm.”

This investigation led Clancy to papers by Matthew Levy and Yoram Rudy, both established investigators at Case Western. She joined Rudy's laboratory for her Ph.D. studies, which focused on developing mathematical models of cardiac cells in order to understand the genesis of arrhythmias. She won an award for the best in cardiovascular research at the university's Research Day 1999.

What got her interested in math in the first place? “My interest definitely got its start at Union. Alan Taylor was my first calculus professor, and although I wasn't the ideal pupil in terms of homework, I remember thinking… hmm…I sort of get this…it isn't so bad….”

Then she took other calculus classes with Shelton Perera and Michael Frame-“the best teachers I've ever had. I really got excited about Michael's fractals class and Alan Taylor's topics in mathematical political science.”

It was during the independent study that she began getting deeply interested in the subject. “It was a way of learning completely removed from the classroom, much more abstract. Stuff just kind of bounced around in the brain and answers fell out, seemingly from nowhere. It was also a more focused way to learn, where creativity meets all the stuff you learned (or tried to learn) in the classroom. To work on a problem that is personally interesting puts knowledge in perspective. Things start to make sense in a new way. All of a sudden, concepts that had seemed difficult developed clarity.
I also realized during that time that I would like to follow a path that would allow me to continually explore and think in this way. ”

Clancy doesn't limit herself to
lab and computer, however,
being committed to serving the community as well. At Case in 1998, she founded and directed a tutoring program for science and math students at Superior Elementary in East Cleveland.
She recruited and organized more than forty tutors to improve performance on the Ohio State Proficiency Exam, and she won the Physiology Department's award for distinguished service to the community.

“One of the ironies that is lost on many is that large research universities are often situated in urban settings that suffer tremendously in terms of secondary education for local residents,” she says. “The potential for outreach in these communities is vast, and I think we could do a lot more as researchers to incorporate students from local schools into internship programs and science and math tutoring. This will be a major priority for me here, to get people involved and give back to the surrounding community.”

Clancy hopes to stay in academics
and ultimately to develop her own laboratory. “The brain as the final frontier of science naturally lends itself to mathematical cellular models. I think this approach could be very useful in understanding the mechanisms of neurological disorders such as epilepsy and other seizure-related illnesses.”

Read More

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

The Union Bookshelf regularly features new books written
by (or about) alumni and
other members of the Union community. If you're an author and would like to be included in a future issue, please send
us a copy of the book as well as your publisher's news release. Our address is Office of Communications, Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308.

David J. Fitzgerald '56

Toyland chronicles the summer season in a resort town, at the saloon known as Mitty's Adirondack Hotel that's busy hustling custom. Hugh Fitzroy, proprietor, a juicer of note himself, presides, while an unpopular war continues interminably in distant Southeast Asia. When the body of a young girl is found by the side of the road, the police investigation leads to Mitty's and Marco Rigo,
a young Vietnam veteran and small-time marijuana dealer. Fitzroy believes the police have
the wrong person and, despite his own admonitions to the contrary, feels compelled to look into the case. In doing so, he learns that it may be politically expedient to convict Rigo. When another girl
is murdered, Fitzroy attempts to take the law into his own hands, resulting in the novel's explosive climax. In examining the ethical matrix of the archetypal warrior-hero, the novel may raise more questions than provide answers. For more information on
Toyland, or to obtain a copy, go to www.1stbooks.com.

Hank Harrell '59

Prime Producing Equations:
The Distribution of Primes and Composites Within a Special Number Arrangement addresses several exciting, thought admittedly esoteric, subjects. The focus
of his work is prime producing quadratic equations; Harrell's theory proposes an improved method for finding equations that “increase the density of primes in the total numbers processed.” The writer, an amateur mathematician and self-taught programmer, describes the book as appropriate for math and computer science hobbyists, as well as for professionals looking to stay alert to
new mathematical discoveries. Although the material is complicated and specialized, Harrell's passion for his own work and his respect for the work of his predecessors makes
Prime Producing Equations a “must read!” Harrell is a retired mechanical engineer who began his study of prime numbers in 1997 after reading a magazine article that described their random nature. To obtain a
copy, go to www.1stbooks.com and click the “media” image at the top of the page.

Stuart S. Shapiro '70
Edited by Laurie Dolphin and Stuart S. Shapiro, Flash Frames:
A New Pop Culture celebrates the work of more than forty of the most innovative media artists currently using the software program known as Flash. From veteran celebrity animators such as Stan Lee, who wrote the book's introduction, to the high-spirited adventures of Marina Zurkow's mutant-cute superheroine Braingirl, to the apocalyptic landscape of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here,”
Flash Frames showcases it all. “Flash-like jazz, rock 'n' roll, and hip-hop-is a new beat for a new generation,” says Shapiro. “Flash art will prove to define a new generation of media artists whose work will be able to be recognized by a single frame of the Flash art animation.”
Flash Frames is the first book to document this new art form. Shapiro, president of Digital Download, has production credits that include the USA Network award-winning series “Night Flight,” the cult feature “Mondo
in New York,” the comedy documentary “Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen,” the feature film
Only the Strong, and the live webcast of “Woodstock '99.” To obtain a copy, go to
www.FlashFrames.org or www.watsonguptill.com.

Kate White '72

If Looks Could Kill introduces readers to Bailey Weggins, a thirty-something, single-again true crime writer for
Gloss, a leading Manhattan women's magazine. Enter Cat Jones, Bailey's boss and the glamorous high-powered editor of
Gloss, whose nanny has just been found dead after eating a box of chocolates that were seemingly meant for Cat. Bailey, a true gutsy sleuth, sets on the trail to find the murderer. Says
Publisher's Weekly, “Bridget Jones meets Nancy Drew in White's impressive debut novel, which provides plenty of New York glamour and glitz, besides a smart, sexy heroine and a cleverly constructed murder mystery.” White,
Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief, started as a writer when she won a Glamour magazine contest while enrolled at Union. After graduation, she took a job with the magazine as an editorial assistant. Her experiences at
Cosmopolitan may have provided fodder for this novel, but she assures readers that it's purely fiction. In addition to
If Looks Could Kill, White is the author of two non-fiction books. Look for the second novel in the Bailey Weggins mystery series,
A Body
to Die For, to appear on shelves
in 2003. For more information
on White, or to obtain a copy
of If Looks Could Kill, go to www.katewhite.com.

Janet Sasson Edgette '78

Candor, Connection, and Enterprise in Adolescent Therapy addresses the difficulties facing therapists who deal with adolescent clients. Using case studies and examples from years of practice, Edgette advocates a relationship-based therapy to crack the code of adolescent reticence and defiance. Kids are quick to pick up on a therapist who struggles to be helpful, to be liked, make conversation, and not upset. Occasionally a therapist is so worried about saying the “wrong” thing, he or she may wind up saying too little that is useful. This book offers therapists techniques for engaging and connecting with their teenaged clients to help them and their family members find dignified, face-saving ways out of their problems. It proves to be a valuable resource for therapists
and families alike, helping to deconstruct the difficulties inherent in adolescent therapy,
in order to achieve healing and change. Edgette is the founder and co-director of The Brief Therapy Center of Philadelphia and co-director of the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Philadelphia. She is also a clinician in private practice and the author of
Head Up! Practical Sport Psychology
for Riders, Their Families, and Their Trainers. To obtain a copy
of Candor, Connection, and Enterprise in Adolescent Therapy, go to www.amazon.com.

Evan I. Schwartz '86

The Last Lone Inventor: A Tale of Genius, Deceit, and the Birth of Television tells a tale of genius and greed, innocence and deceit, and corporate arrogance versus independent brilliance. According to Walter Isaacson, the chairman of CNN, “Philo T. Farnsworth is probably the most influential unknown person in the past century. Schwartz tells the fascinating inside story of how this eccentric loner invented television and fought corporate America.” In 1921, Farnsworth had an idea but didn't know anyone who would understand it. By 1926, at the age of twenty, he was operating his own laboratory above a garage in San Francisco and filing his first patent applications. The resulting publicity brought him to the attention of David Sarnoff, founder of the NBC radio network, whose RCA laboratories began investigating, without success, a way to transmit a moving image. Sarnoff was determined to control television the same way he monopolized radio, so he devised a plan to steal credit for Farnsworth's designs. This book is vividly written and based on original research, including interviews with surviving members of the Farnsworth family, including his wife, Pem. Schwartz is an award-winning journalist who has covered technology and business for
the past fifteen years. For more information, go to www.lastloneinventor.com.

Read More

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

As part of this year's Commencement festivities, the Office of College Relations invited graduating seniors and their families to attend the first annual Garnet Gala on
Saturday June 15, the evening before Commencement. Members of the Class of 2002 were welcomed to the alumni family with an elegant and fun-filled evening that featured food, entertainment from a live band, and dancing. More than half of the graduating class brought parents, siblings and friends to celebrate their four years of hard work and bid a bittersweet goodbye to Union. The evening also included a toast by Presided Roger Hull, in which he greeted the 1,000 guests and wished the graduates
success in the many years to come.

Read More

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

ReUnion Weekend 2002 was one not to be missed. Between 1,250 and 1,400 alumni and guests returned to campus to reconnect and pay tribute to their alma mater. Activities combined some of the traditional offerings-alumni parade and convocation, picnic, class receptions and dinners-with programs that introduced alumni and their guests to the Union of today. The weekend included sessions on international programs, undergraduate research opportunities, residential and campus life, the Union Scholars Program, and tours of the campus and Seward Park neighborhood.

Among the highlights was the dedication of the Stanley R. Becker `40 Career Center, a new state-of-the-art facility for students who are combining their educational experience with their professional goals. On Saturday, the Class of '52 took top honors in the annual parade with their clever version of “52 pickup.” Members marched with large playing cards and carried signs with cardplaying phrases like “All Kings,
No Queens,” “Bridge to the Future,” and “King of Hearts.” Periodically along the parade route the class would “shuffle
the deck,” each marcher taking a new position. The class won the Van Voast Cup for best costume, the Anable Cup for largest number of participants, and the McClellan Cup for highest percentage
of alumni returning for the parade.
The Class of '43 Award, which goes to the class with the most outstanding ReUnion effort, went to the Class of '47.

Following the parade, everyone filed inside Memorial Chapel for the alumni convocation. Alumni Council Gold Medals were awarded, in recognition
of exemplary service to the College,
to Frederick W. Brandt, Jr. '47, Horace
“Bo” Silliman Van Voast III '52, and
James W. Tedisco '72. The Faculty Meritorious Service Award went to
James E. Underwood, professor of political science. Convocation concluded with the singing of the alma mater directed by Edgar Moulton '37. Following convocation guests of the weekend were treated to the playing of the Memorial Chapel chimes by Moulton.

On Saturday night, swirling winds sent the ReUnion Class Candlelight dinner from the “Big Top” tent to Memorial Fieldhouse, but alumni and guests enjoyed an elegant evening filled with tasty food, music and dancing, and conversation with old friends.

The night finished in style with the always popular and spectacular
fireworks show designed and donated
by Steve Ente '75.

The weekend was best summed up by
an alumnus from the Class of 1962 saying, “The weekend couldn't have
been any better!”

Read More

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

1932 McMillen

1935 Mathes, Rhoades

1936 Lee, Mayer, Milano, Van Wormer, Yulman

1937 Hughes, Mengel, Moulton, Van Wert

1938 Canale, Fagal, Male

1939 Cappiello, Dwore

1940 Becker, Kilcoin

1942 Birdsall, Brand, Brockwehl, Clark, Conly, Coward, Feigenbaum, Feldman, Fliegel, Fogg, Friedman, Gonzalez-Arbona, Hudson, Killian, Kronick, Leland, Longe, Nothacker, Pinkston, Portnoy, Sammons, Stanco, Tepper, Van Valkenburg

1943 Fitzroy, Jones, Male, Quinn, Vinick

1944 Christopher, Houck, Moon, White

1945 Craig, Glenn, Moder, Van Eysden

1946 Cerrito, Nelson, Troiani

1947 Andersen, Brandt, Cloyd, Davis, DeBaun, Dzula, Fellendorf, Ferber, Fisher, Foster, Heyer, Hinchey, Izzo, Jones, Kreisman, Mannel, Peters, Schwartz, Swacker, Umland, Wallace, Ziffer

1948 Boyd, Furlong, Hotchkiss

1949 Boyer, Gluck

1950 Carsky, Dicerbo, Fisher, Lippman, Sheldon, Snow, Sollecito, Sternlicht, Taormina

1951 Bucci, DeHont, Giambruno, Killeen, Riemer, Smith, Snell, Wheeler

1952 Benner, Blais, Braemer, Branson, Breault, Brody, Bucci, Campbell, Carpenter, Casey, Cauvet, Chandler,
Cohn, DeMott, Delaney, Duffy, Englebardt, Farnsworth, Fishbone,
Foley, Forsyth, Franklin, Fulton, Geismar, Halstead, Handler, Harrold, Haslund,
Hass, Herner, Hiller, Hockenbury, Hoornbeek, Hoskins, Jaselskis, Jennett, Johnson, Jones, Kaminow, Kantor, Klein, Klotz, Kronick, Labella, Lennartson, Levine, Loughry, Madison, Martin,
Matern, Matern, Mercier, Modlin, Morgan, O'Loughlin, Odell, Olsen, Oram, Radack, Redington, Roberts, Roome, Rosenfeld, Rugaber, Salerno, Schwartz, Silverman, Smith, Smith, Stockman, Sutton, Taylor, Townsend, Van Voast, Walrath, Warnick, Wittekind, Wolfson

1953 Holzapfel, Moses

1956 Hirshorn, Huntington

1957 Benedict, Carl, Chassman, Clapp, Cloos, Conaway, Cox, D'Innocenzo, Davis, Eastman, Engkvist, Fisher, Frank, Frasso, Fromer, Hirschen, Ince, Jatlow, Knafel, Landis, Langholz, Lewis, Lott, Markfield, Noonan, Rosenkrantz, Seeley, Smith, Torpie, Vendetti, Voss, Warner, Yunick

1958 Bell, Martin, Musick

1959 Lally

1960 Mielke

1962 Ayres, Benjamin, Charlton,
DiCenzo, Dickinson, Dominy, Edlund, Gentile, Handelman, Hogle, Holland, Johnson, Juckett, Larson, Laubacher, Lavery, Leslie, Loewenstein, Magill, Murdock, Penner, Perkins, Rapaport, Rohrer, Salvatore, Schepps, Solstad,
Walls, Welch, Zuckerman

1964 Lustig

1965 Brown, MacKinnon

1966 Lathey, Morgenstern

1967 Arkoff, Cooper, Cullings, Duchscherer, Ferguson, Giancola,
Gordan, Hall, Hedquist, Janney, Kates, Louis, Marshall, Matt, Olson, Ramich, Stock, Strickland, Sussman, Temple, Thornton, Urbelis

1968 Foltin, Knight

1969 Bentrovato, Bulova, Killian, Saltzman

1970 Felts, Hopper, Stall, Williamson

1971 Harrington

1972 (Flagg) Bolz, Bucken, Dale, Fox,
Fox, Friedman, Ginsberg, Goldman, Kaplan, Kaplan, Kass, Klein, (Mullaney) Maycock, Michaelson, Peaslee, Pezzano, Pinkston, Samuels, Silver, Simson, Solomon, Starr, Tedisco

1973 Bain

1974 (Howe) Grosso, Newell, Rieschick, Vallee

1975 Carney, Ente

1976 Gyory

1977 Albert, (Weinstein) Albert,
Backer, Bergmann, Bishop-Davis, (Sawyer) Bloom, Breault, Brucia, Castello, (Aiken) Copeland, DiMeo, Dickinson, Emelock, Feder, Fildes, Forselius, Goldstein, Harkenrider, Horstman, Huggins, Jacobson, Moon, Nellissen, (Francis) Nellissen, Patnode, Robison, Romanazzi, (Dingley) Scholl, Schwartz, Shore, Wydra

1980 Itani, Lipson, Seftel

1981 (Moumbleaux) Cartafalsa, Magida, Polishook, Sciortino

1982 Agar, (Gold) Beal, Beard, (Kerelo) Bennett, Bernstein, Bigelow, Blumkin, (Radzyminski) Bohuslavsky, (Modest) Brand, (Miller) Burnett, Cardino, Carlson, Creem, Curtin, Dennin, DiLibero, Durham, Erskine, Etkin, Feinsot, Feldman-Shafferman, Figur, Fisher, Fox, Freni, Gertzog, Goldman, Goodman, Green, Gretter, Kansas-Devine, Koppelman, (Swinarski) Krutz, Laurin, Lee, Leinfuss, Lippman, Lloyd, (Stroud) Loveland, Maloy, Mateja, McDermott, McGhee, (Katz) Meyers, (Lavin) Mooradian, Nickelsberg, Norton, (Weber) Plotas, Reynolds, Rubinstein, (Fiddes) Rudolph, Saunders, (Greenberg) Schiffer, Shea, Steidl, Strang, Tanenbaum, (Stern) Taylor, Viglielmo, Wall, (Sherman) Wilson, Zucker

1983 Brown, Dean, DiNolfo, Gordon

1984 Rasmussen Drapala

1986 (Morse) Fitzgerald, Gernert-Dott

1987 Ash-Maher, Chandler, Ciovacco, (Egan) Dworkin, Grossman, Grundman, Lent, Lev, Malatesta, (Webster) Root, Shapiro, Sullivan, (Hatfield) Suzich, Thomson, (Leidner) Wolf, Zuk

1988 (Adinolfi) Brockway, Morse

1989 Hopkins

1990 Cotier

1991 (Glass) Emmi, Malaczynski, Tucker

1992 Austin, Austin, Bogdanovich, Childs, (Wheeler) Cotier, Cuite, Emmi, Famulare, Ferrero, (Summers) Flynn, Francello, (Frease) Geraghty, Geraghty, Goldin, Googel, Grasso, Jewell, Karotkin Segerman, Kinum, Klein, Kull, Lasewicz, Levinsohn, Macherone, (Rogers) McDonald, Michaelides, (Lamberton) Miller, Mitchell Strunk, (Duncan) Mitchell, Morrissey, Oxman, Pearsall, Prior, Reams, Reisman, Rolnick, Rowand, Sachar, (Samloff) Schwartz, Slade Weitzner, Snyder, Souhan, Tremaglio, (Amendola) Tremaglio, Vialardi, Wehrum, Wellington, White Wellington, (Goshko) Wolfe, (Young) Ziegler

1993 Bernstein, (Rand) Simes,
(Best) Souhan

1994 Callahan, Dever, Drumm, (McCall) Jewell, Kublanov, (Dolan) McCann

1996 Herrington, Langone, Tricozzi

1997 Berke, Blackburn, Call, (Leavitt) Cohen, Cohen, DePoto, Donovan,
Gade, Mankad, McElholm, Murray, Richards, Richards, Tesser, Van Der Linden, Walls, Wilson

1998 Bretz, Smith, Tiggle

1999 DeLorenzo, Parisi, Potluri,
(Ciani) Smith, Staro, Zayas

2000 Gigliotti, Mancini, Markowski, Militello, Newell, Oakley

2001 Aherne, Blinn, Cardinale, Connair, Dardashtian, Dearstyne, Denema, Desiano, Doser, Fallon, Flaherty, Gershkovich, Glaser, Grullon, Hasson, Johnson, Landry, Langer, Lemle, Mathis, Matusewicz, McKee, Mielcarz, Roselle, Rouse, Rubin, Sheehan, Sher, Stefanik, Strohsahl, Struzziero, Tabas, Topp-Poirier, Vines, Woodard, Zuehlke

Read More

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

Boston, MA
Young alumni of the Boston area gathered on March 14th to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. More than 100 alumni were in attendance to mingle with friends and former classmates over cocktails at Clery's in Boston.

On April 11th President Roger Hull joined over 100 alumni and friends in Boston's Financial District at the Harvard Club to present “Union Today and Union Tomorrow.” He discussed the recent improvements the college has made to Union and the surrounding community. The President also shared some exciting innovations, including changes to the curriculum that will carry the College
into the next century.

A number of alumni also met for the first seminar of a planned series on “Preparing for Retirement” on April 24th. The group heard about the experience of recently retired Vince Guerra, MD '55 and his wife, Joline. He spoke about medical conditions afflicting this age group, and identified future topics for discussion. The next meeting will take place in September.

Dallas, TX
Union College alumni and friends welcomed springtime with a Wine Tasting at Dallas' Wine Broker. It was the first official event held by the Union College Alumni Club of Dallas. Alumni of all ages and classes mixed and mingled as they listened to a lecture on wine and sampled a range of fine vintages from three continents and five countries.

Hartford, CT
On April 30th the New Britain Museum of American Art closed for the evening and opened its doors exclusively for Union's Hartford area alumni to hear President Hull's presentation, “Union Today and Union Tomorrow”. After hearing about the exciting changes taking place at Union, the group enjoyed special exhibits as well as works in the permanent collection that ranged from photography to sculpture.

New York City
In May a group of New York City area alumni of all ages gathered at the
Cornell Club to begin structuring a formal New York City Alumni Club and discuss ideas for future events. The proposed
ideas included everything from theatre
to sporting events. New Yorkers should watch their mailboxes for alumni events beginning this fall!

Philadelphia, PA
On May 3rd and 4th 18 alumni joined Union's Pre-Health society to talk to students who are interested in pursuing careers in health professions. The weekend's events are best summarized by the comments of a student in attendance; she said, “I can't believe how much I learned and the many options I have to consider for the next few years. Also, the contacts I made at the dinner were wonderful. The alumni were so willing to talk and be contacted in the future. I really learned a lot from them. When I told my mom about my weekend, she said that she hadn't heard me so excited about anything in a long time. She could tell how much I wanted to pursue medicine…these trips really add a lot to the College.”

Schenectady, N.Y.
On April 17, over 100 Union alumni and friends had the opportunity to attend a performance by the Miami City Ballet at Schenectady's Proctor's Theater. Edward Villella, Founding Artistic Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Miami City Ballet and recipient of an honorary degree from Union College, gave a wonderful pre-performance talk. The evening event began with a reception.

A spring luncheon was held at the Mohawk Golf Club, with over 50 people attending. Mike Saccocio '84, Director of the Schenectady City Mission, spoke about the Mission and its goals and achievements.

On June 18, approximately 50 alumni and friends attended a picnic at the Reamer Student Center overlooking beautiful Jackson's Garden. This annual spring picnic is the finale to a wonderful year of alumni activities and features delicious food and great conversation.

At year-end, club membership stands
at 261.

Washington, D.C.
On May 15th more than 30 local alumni, a number of whom spent a semester in Washington, mixed with 19 interns at the annual Reception for Union interns, which was held in the posh hearing room of the House Agricultural Committee in the Longworth Building. It was a balmy evening and the gathering quickly
spilled out on the balcony overlooking Constitution Avenue and the flood lit Capitol Building. Political Science professor John Zumbrunnen, mentor for this year's spring semester in Washington program, spoke briefly about the development of the program and where the students are working. Katie Yohay, daughter of Steve Yohay '67, cut a large birthday cake honoring Minerva and the 201st birthday of Union worthy William Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State.

Read More