Valerie Barr, chair of the Computer Science Department and director of Interdisciplinary Programs, was named co-chair of the Association of Computing Machinery’s Women in Computing Committee. ACM is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society with more than 100,000 members in some 100 countries. In May, Barr will lead a strategic planning meeting to set the organization’s goals for growth and outreach during the next five years.
Gretchel Hathway, senior director of Campus Diversity and Affirmative Action, was a featured speaker at Albany County’s observance of Black History Month hosted by the county Legislature. Hathaway spoke about her experiences with a grade school principal who served as her mentor.
President Stephen C. Ainlay and Judith Gardner Ainlay recently met with members of the sophomore class at their home. The reception allowed students the opportunity to ask the president questions about the College.
Deidre Hill Butler, associate professor of sociology and director of the Africana Studies Program, was a speaker for the Diversity Committee at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass. Her talk was titled “The Help: Black Feminist Perspectives.”
A paper by Lewis Davis, associate professor of economics, and Fuat Sener, professor of economics, recently was published “Intellectual Property Rights, Institutional Quality and Economic Growth” in the Journal of International Economics, Commerce and Policy. The paper argues that intellectual property rights enforcement may decrease the rate of economic growth when patent holders use the threat of litigation to deter potential innovators.
Jordan Smith, professor of English, will read a selection of his poems on Wednesday, March 7 at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs. Smith’s recent collection, “The Light in the Film,” includes 71 poems that draw on characters ranging from Tosca to Henry Purcell, and landscapes such as Mexico, Hell and Saratoga Springs. The collection also delves into music, celebrating the work of composer Charles Ives and capturing the atmosphere of a contra dance. For more information on the reading, call (518) 583-0022.
A review by Andrew Feffer, associate professor of history, of Steven J. Ross’ book, “Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics,” was featured on The Cutting Edge, an online site for independent journalism.
The extensive car collection of Jim Taylor '66 was the subject of a new television show on the Velocity channel called "Million Dollar Collections." The one-hour program showed Taylor's wide-ranging automobile collection, including rare Jaguars and vintage trucks.