Posted on Mar 29, 2010

Bob Soules, director of the Becker Career Center, was recently interviewed about the job prospects for college graduates.

To read the article in the Times Union, click here (registration may be required).

Posted on Mar 26, 2010

In case you missed the news over break, two Union students were named Watson Fellows, a prestigious honor granted to 40 college seniors nationwide from a competitive pool of 150 applicants.

As recipients of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, Frederick Franke ’10 and James Morton ’10 will receive a one-year stipend of $25,000 to study independently outside the United States.

Franke, an interdepartmental history and political science major from Annapolis, Md., will research the intimate connection between food and culture in “Out of the Kitchen and Into the Fire: Exploring the World’s Open-fire Cooking Methods.”

He will apprentice himself to open-fire cooks around the world, studying the hangi method of cooking in New Zealand, tandoor in India, braai in South Africa, doner kebap in Turkey and jerk in Jamaica.

Morton’s project, “Large Format Cargo: Photographing the Shipping Industry,” will take him to ports and shipyards in Australia, India and South Korea. A history and environmental science major from Orient Point, L.I., and grandson of a merchant mariner, Morton grew up with a love of photography and the sea.

“We are so proud of our winners,” said History Professor Joyce Madancy, chair of the College’s Watson Fellowship Committee. “It’s especially thrilling to have two more Watson Fellows on campus.”

The newest fellows come from 23 states and three foreign countries. For a complete list of winners and their project, click here.

Posted on Mar 26, 2010

Members of Union’s mechanical and electrical engineering departments offered some hands-on, technical expertise recently by designing and building part of a new exhibit on superconducting technology at the Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium.

The new display, “Superconducting City of Lights” was part of the 10^th anniversary celebration of SuperPower, Inc., a leader in the development of second-generation high temperature superconductors and related devices.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to work together on an interdisciplinary project, to put many organizational and team project skills taught in the classroom into action,” said Rebecca Cortez, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

In addition to Cortez, the team included James Hedrick, senior lecturer in electrical engineering, Rhonda Becker, Mechanical Engineering Department administrative assistant, and students Sam Barstow '11, Peter DiSalvio ’11, Krystle Gallo ’12, Demarcus Hamm ’10, Denly Lettsome ’11, Stephen Sanchez ’11, Lindsey Walaski ’10 and James Walker ’10. 

They worked together in small groups for more than a month.

“The experience was amazing,” said Lettsome, an electrical engineering major. “It was true ‘real-world’ engineering work – working with other engineers in different fields, updating each other based on progress, sharing different ideas on what we should do next to make it better, and of course, deadlines. I applied engineering principles I've been studying since freshman year.”

“There was a lot of brainstorming," said mechanical engineering major Gallo. "We learned we would be building a city that would light up in different ways when buttons were pressed to simulate their products. We spent a great deal of time planning what each button would do, what the city would be made out of, how we would wire it."

Using LED Christmas lights, Gallo said, "we worked on plotting out where the lights would be placed into the boards, drilling the holes, and cutting the boards so that they would fit correctly. It was amazing to see the final product at the museum, working perfectly. The opening was a huge success.” 

“Superconducting City of Lights” is a permanent interactive display in the museum’s “Power House” exhibit, which will be open to the public throughout the year.  

Union has partnered with SuperPower since 2006 to help develop a workforce  for its commercial production of superconducting wire. Among the community and government leaders who helped mark the anniversary milestone was U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY).

Posted on Mar 25, 2010

Renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman brings his commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts to Memorial Chapel for his fifth Chamber Concert Series appearance Wednesday, April 7, 8 p.m.

He will present Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C (on an original theme), Schumann’s Faschingschwank aus Wien, Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2, Op. 14 and Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata in G, Op. 37.

Bronfman, who appears regularly with such celebrated ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and New York Philharmonic, won the Avery Fisher Prize in 1991. In 1997, he clinched a Grammy Award for his recording of the three Bartok Piano Concertos with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Bronfman was born in the former Soviet Union in 1958 and moved to Israel, where he attended the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. He became a U.S. citizen in 1989, continuing his studies at The Julliard School, Marlboro and Curtis Institute of Music.

Bronfman's performance is free to members of the Union community. General admission tickets are $25; local students may attend for $10. For more, click here.

Posted on Mar 25, 2010

It’s an experience they’re not likely to forget.

Students in Professor Carol Weisse’s cognitive neuroscience class recently conducted a laboratory exercise by going into the community and conducting a “virtual dementia tour” for individuals who wanted to improve their understanding of cognitive decline. 

Obenzinger Scholar Leah Robison ’10 coordinated the event, which allowed participants, many of whom were volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Buddy Program, to learn more about what it’s like to live with dementia. The buddy program, which has a campus chapter, offers support to families and individuals in the community dealing with dementia.

Wearing specialized goggles and headphones presenting sounds meant to impair cognitive processing, participants were asked to complete some basic household tasks, many of which turned out to be an unexpected challenge.  

“This was a new lab course, and I tried to incorporate service learning. It ended up being a fun and interesting event,” said Weisse, director of Health Professions Program.

“Students were able to conduct a unique laboratory exercise while gaining a better understanding of dementia and offering a valuable service to the community.”

More than 4.5 million of the approximately 35 million Americans age 65 and older suffer from dementia, the overriding diagnosis for cognitive impairments.  Alzheimer’s disease is the largest category under dementia.