Thomas McEvoy, director of Minerva Programs, recently spoke about the College’s Minerva Fellows Program at a conference in Siena, Italy. Intercultural Horizons explored the challenges and triumphs of intercultural competence development, highlighting the variety of approaches and practices used in different institutions.
Matt Milless, director of Student Activities, recently took the top prize in the 2011 Great Tulip Fest Photo Contest. Milless’ winning photograph features a young girl reaching for a red tulip. Milless’ photography is featured in many College publications and brochures.
Rhona Beaton, assistant director of Health Professions, served as program co-chair of the annual meeting of the Northeast Association of Advisors to the Health Professions, held in Newport, R.I. Carole Weisse, director of Health Professions, gave a talk at the meeting. She spoke about “The Ups and Downs of Coordinating Service Learning Experiences” and also served as an invited panelist at the conference’s Professional and Leadership Development Workshop.
Christopher Chabris, assistant professor of psychology, will be the keynote speaker at the Bright Ideas Conference, hosted by the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce Friday, May 20. Chabris will share concepts from his book, “The Invisible Gorilla,” to illustrate how people’s minds are susceptible to everyday illusions.
Stephen Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, talked about the revolutions in the Middle East at an event at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, hosted by the Campaign for Jewish Needs. Berk discussed “Israel and Democracy in the Danger Zone.”
Climate change research by Don Rodbell, chair of the Geology Department, and several academic colleagues was featured on several online news outlets. Rodbell, along with professors from the University of Pittsburgh and the University at Albany, found that as temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere rise, the planet’s densely populated tropical regions will most likely experience severe water shortages as the crucial summer monsoons become drier. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Viki Brooks, director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and campus Protestant minister, was honored with the Robert J. and Dorothy S. Ludwig Interfaith Award at the annual meeting of the Interfaith Community of Schenectady. The award was in recognition of her leadership on campus in the exploration of faith, interaction of many faiths and dialogue between faith and secularism. After receiving her award, Brooks gave a talk, “Trends in Multi-Faith Engagements in Higher Education.”