The 34th Union College Concert Series, featuring the Emerson String Quartet, Artemis String Quartet, pianists Emanuel Ax and Yefim Bronfman and other world-renowned musicians, will kick off Friday, Sept. 30. All performances are in the acoustically-superb Memorial Chapel.
The series will pay tribute to the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich's birth and the 150th anniversary of the death of Robert Schumann, which occur in 2006.
The 14-concert season opens on Friday at 8 p.m. with an all-Schubert program, A Schubert Lieder Abend, by tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Julius Drake, and concludes May 8 with an all-Mozart program by pianist Mitsuko Uchida.
In November, the prize-winning Belcea String Quartet, a young British group, will perform Schumann's A major quartet, op. 41, No. 3.
Julius Drake
Marking Mozart's birthday weekend in January, acclaimed pianist Pei-Yao Wang and Friends will perform three Mozart Concerti arranged by the composer for piano and string quintet, K. 413, 414 and 415.
A perennial favorite, the Emerson String Quartet, will play Shostakovich's final three string quartets, Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m.
Concert parking is available at nearby campus lots. The Union College trolley will be available to shuttle concert goers from the Nott/Seward lot one hour before the start of the concert and one hour after the end of each concert. The complete schedule is on the web at www.union.edu/ConcertSeries/. Single tickets are available for purchase in advance at the Union College Central Scheduling office.
For tickets phone (518) 388-6080; for mailing list and brochures (518) 388-6131; and for other information please call (518) 372-3651.
The College and faculty have received several grants to support bioengineering, nanotechnology and aerogels.
“Of particular interest are opportunities that allow students to explore the relationships between the liberal arts and technology,” says Douglass Klein, director, Center for Converging Technologies (CT).
The newest grants include:
New York State Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR): This is a partnership between Union; U-Start, the Union-affiliated business incubator; NYSTAR; and the Watervliet Innovation Center (WIC). It will provide approximately $150,000 to the College to support faculty and students who are undertaking research projects in cooperation with companies located at the WIC in areas such as nanotechnology, optical and chemical sensing, and fire prevention and control.
Aerogels sample
NSF-RUI (Research at Undergraduate Institutions), Aerogel Gas Sensor Platform: Mary K. Carroll, professor of chemistry, and Ann Anderson, associate professor of mechanical engineering, lead a research team that has developed a new rapid supercritical extraction method for fabricating aerogel monoliths. The team will compare their fabricated aerogel platform gas sensors with those fabricated using conventional supercritical extraction methods.
Integrating Micro-Computed Tomography in Undergraduate Bioengineering Courses: This NSF-sponsored grant was awarded to Andy Rapoff, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, to foster interdisciplinary thinking and excite students with the possibilities in bioengineering.
Stacie Raucci, assistant professor of classics, and Channette Romero, assistant professor of English, have been named John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Assistant Professors, a fellowship that supports new and promising faculty members.
Stacie Raucci
Raucci came to Union in 2004. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago with a dissertation titled “Gazing Games: Propertius and the Dynamics of Vision.” Her fields include Latin literature of the Augustian Age; gender and sexuality; and culture and society of the late Republic. Her offerings include courses in Greek and Latin language and literature as well as sex and gender in antiquity.
Channette Romero
Romero holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Her dissertation was titled “Spiritual Resistance: Religion, Race and Nation in Ethnic American Women's Fiction.” Interests include African American literature, ethnic American literature, twentieth century literature, and gender and feminist theory.
The College has recognized 30 MacArthur Assistant Professors since 1982, after receiving a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Last year's recipients were Jennifer Matsue of performing arts and East Asian Studies, and Andrew Morris of history.
Schenectady, NY (September 29, 2005) – Union College men's hockey coach Nate Leaman has announced the selection of team captains for the upcoming 2005-06 season. Senior Scott Seney (Silver Spring, MD) and junior Sean Streich (Kimberley, BC) will serve as co-captains and senior Chris Konnick (Binghamton, NY) was selected as the assistant captain.
“I am honored being named captain of Union this year,” stated Seney. “I expect big things out of these guys this year. I'm proud that I get the chance to lead them on the ice.” Seney is no stranger to leading by example on the ice. He has played in 107 of a possible 109 games during his Union career. He has finished in the top five on the team in scoring and has led the team in game-winning goals the past two seasons.
“Being named a captain is definitely a privilege,” commented Streich. “I feel lucky to have the opportunity to lead this great group of guys. It feels good to be recognized as a leader by the coaches and my teammates. We look forward to having a great season.” Streich has been on the ice for every game as a Dutchmen and was one of just three players to appear in all 37 games last season. He also finished third among defensemen last year in points.
“Being named a captain is a great honor and it will be exciting to help lead the great group of guys we have coming back next year,” acknowledged Konnick. The senior has appeared in 40 games for the Dutchmen.
Seney and Streich become the 78th and 79th captains in the program's history. The trio leads Union into the 2005-06 season at the Ice Breaker Invitational in Colorado Springs, CO on October 7th against Colorado College.
John Audino has a captivating smile, and lately, there has been a reason to see a lot of smiles. The Dutchmen are 3-0. They lead the nation in “turnover margin,” thus, they are taking very good care of the football. They have the fourth ranked running back (Tom Arcidiacono) and fourth ranked wide receiver (Steve Angiletta) in NCAA Division III numbers-wise. They are receiving votes in both of the national polls (AFCA and D3football.com). And, yet, the focus of the coach, as always, is on his staff and his team at all times, and the big picture at hand.
“John Audino already was the all-time winningest coach here at Union,” said Associate Head Coach Gary Reynolds. “He added the milestone of 100 victories with little self attention, but rather by being concerned about our players' accomplishments vs. Rochester and getting ready for the next opponent, Merchant Marine.
“John is more interested in THIS 2005 team and what it will accomplish on and off the field then his personal record. He understands that if the players and program are handled correctly, the personal accolades will continue to occur.”
John Audino
Tom Arcidiacono (Castleton, NY/Columbia) rushed for a career-best 250 yards on 38 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead Union to the 41-28 win at Rochester Saturday. Arcidiacono's total of 250 tied Kojo Attah's mark for the fourth most rushing yards in Union history, and it was the most since George Beebe's school record 272 vs. Rochester in November of 2000. Arcidiacono had rushing TDs of six, one and 17 yards in the victory. Steve Angiletta (Plantsville, CT/Southington) had eight catches for 160 yards and a 65-yard touchdown reception. QB Anthony Marotti (River Edge, NJ/River Dell) was 16 for 29 for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Marotti now has 97 pass attempts on the season without an interception. Remarkably, his team has now played 13 quarters and 195 minutes, 42 seconds since his last interception, in the third quarter of the “Shoes Game” vs. Rensselaer in the '04 season finale.
Audino enters this week with a Union career record of 100-33-0, good for a winning mark of 75.2%. He has never had a sub-.500 season and is in his 14th year.
Arcidiacono is averaging 192.3 yards per game to rank #4 in NCAA Division III, while Angiletta is #4 with 146.0 receiving yards per game. That, folks, is a balanced offense on a team that would put a smile on any coach, especially one with 100 career victories.
Kristin Murphy
Even though the football team was away, smiles abounded nonetheless around Bailey Field over the weekend. Another stadium tenant, the Union field hockey team, posted back-to-back Liberty League home wins Friday and Saturday. You might say, after a brief losing streak, that it was “Murphy's Law” to have a big weekend. So, it was only fitting that senior forward Kristin Murphy (Branford, CT/Branford) would come through to win the Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week.
She opened the week with a goal at Utica. On Friday, she scored four goals in a 5-3 home win over league rival Hamilton. Saturday, against St. Lawrence, Murphy scored a goal and an assist in the 4-3 triumph. On the season, the senior has eight goals and two assists for Union.
“Kristin did a marvelous job for us,” commented Head Coach Lacey French. “Her Friday performance really set the tone for a big weekend, and we hope to continue this fine play as we head into a challenging stretch of road games.”
Beginning September 28, the Dutchwomen play five straight on the road before closing out the regular season with five straight at home. They do not return to the Bailey Field turf until October 14.
Like the ball on the turf, the Union men's soccer team just keeps rolling along. Undefeated in the last eight games since the season opening loss, the Dutchmen are 6-1-1 and now 2-0 in the league. Sophomore forward Casey Ftorek (Bedford, MA/Taft School) played no small part in the success of the week. He notched two goals on four shots on goal for Union in a pair of Liberty League weekend opening matches. In the first game, Ftorek scored the game-winning goal at Rensselaer to lead the Dutchmen to a 1-0 win. Saturday at Vassar, Ftorek scored the first Union goal en route to a 2-1 win. He now has a goal in each of his last three games.
Casey Ftorek
“Casey had a great first weekend in the league,” said Head Coach Jeff Guinn. “His goal vs. RPI was a great individual effort, holding off a couple of defenders while slotting the ball by the keeper. His work rate defensively was great, and it is infectious to those around him.
“The goal vs. Vassar was an uncommon header, but a well timed run off of Chris Poey's service into the box. Casey is a tremendous talent who seems to be enjoying the tight knit friendships we have on our team.”
After the September 28 home night game against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the men's soccer squad will play at Plattsburgh Saturday night.
It was nice for the Union women's volleyball team to be in the friendly confines of the Viniar Atheltic Center. Over the last five event dates, the team has been home for four of those dates. And, the second Union Invite will take place October 7-8. The Dutchwomen will try to improve on the three wins thus far as they head to Oneonta for a tournament this weekend. Senior Charelle Carter (Schenectady, NY/ND-BG) is averaging a team-best 2.64 kills per game, and freshman Erin Schumaker (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) has been a force at the net, with 30 solo blocks and 63 total blocks in her first season at Union.
You could think of…oh…at least a dozen reasons why the Union women's soccer team should be nationally ranked. So, for the second straight week, the Dutchwomen stand #12 in the NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division III poll. Union is one of 11 teams in the top 25 to remain undefeated, and the squad joins their field hockey counterparts for a long look at the road. Starting Saturday night at Steven's Tech, it will be four straight away for Coach Brian Speck's team, which was paced Saturday by Caitlin Cuozzo (Norfolk, MA/King Phillip Regional) and Cassandra Mariani (Boonton, NJ/Morris Catholic) in a home win over Vassar. Union has outscored opponents, 36-7, and has allowed just 14 second half shots in this stunning season.
The women's tennis team notched the third win of the season in the home finale, September 27. An 8-1 triumph over Hartwick featured precision play by senior Jennie Werts (New York, NY/Fieldston School). She was a perfect 6-0, 6-0 winner in #1 singles for her third win of the season, and she joined Jess Meola (Hartsdale, NY/Ardsley) for the tandem's fourth doubles win of the year. Werts also won her first round match at the ITA's at William Smith last weekend, and joined Meola for a doubles victory at that tourney as well. Union is at Rensselaer on October 4 before heading to the Liberty League Championships at Vassar.
Meanwhile, the Liberty League Championships for cross country are this weekend. The Union men's team got back on the course last week after a week off, and Victor Guaiquil (Astoria, NY/Stuyvesant) was the top Union finisher at 70th in the meet at Williams. He clocked at 30:31. The women's squad, also competing at Mt. Greylock High School near the Williams campus, was paced by Akousa Dwumfour (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsbury). She took 54th in the field at 21:33, and teammate Jane Wolkowitz (Mendota Hts., MN) was not far off the pace, at 61st with a time of 21:50.
