Posted on Jan 10, 2011

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.

“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:  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.”

To learn more about U Sustain, click here.

Posted on Jan 5, 2011

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.

Posted on Jan 4, 2011

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.

Posted on Jan 4, 2011

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.

Posted on Jan 3, 2011

Nareh Arghamanyan is described by Musical America writer and fellow pianist Harris Goldsmith as a “major, major, major talent” who places audiences under the “spell of (her) magnificent artist(ry).” On Sunday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m., Union will host a performance by this 21-year-old Armenian musician. Her program includes selections by Rameau, Brahms, Rachmaninov and Liszt.

A recognized talent from an early age, Arghamanyan was eight when she began her studies with Alexander Gurgenov at the Tchaikovsky Music School for Talented Children. She was also the youngest student ever to be admitted to the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, entering in 2004.

Arghamanyan has performed with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Mont Blanc Symphony France and the Armenian Philharmonic, with planned appearances this season from Vienna to Vancouver. Winning the Montreal International Music Competition in 2008 further confirmed her place as one of today’s finest young pianists. Arghamanyan had previously earned first place wins at the 2007 Jose Roca International Competition in Valencia and the 2005 Josef Dichler Piano Competition in Vienna.

A participant at the 2009 Marlboro Music Festival, she will return again this year. Arghamanyan is no stranger to second appearances; a debut at the San Francisco Performances last season was followed by another invitation to their “Young Master Series” in 2011.

The Analekta label recently released Arghamanyan’s highly praised recording of the Rachmaninov 2^nd sonata and Liszt B minor sonata. 

The show is open to the public and free to members of the Union community. General admission tickets are $20, though area students may attend for $8. For a complete list of this season’s concerts, click here.