Five Union students presented their research at the fifth annual New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium Undergraduate Research Conference at Colgate University on Sept. 26. Nearly 90 oral presentations and posters were presented as undergraduates from Union, Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, St. Lawrence University and Skidmore College detailed the outcomes of their research efforts. Adam Ashcroft ’18 presented “Gas Flow Through Silica Aerogels,” Sonia Sandoval ’16 discussed “Effects Invasive Black Locusts (Robinia pseudoacacia) on Nitrogen Cycling in the Albany Pine Bush,” and Sydney Paluch ’17 presented “Bend and Snap: Questioning Female Spectatorship through Sexualized Representations of Female Lawyers.” Matthew Wolford ’16 and Geguel Landestoy ’16 participated in the poster session. Their topics were “Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Management in the Adirondack Park,” and “What Are the Real Conditions in Upstate New York,” respectively. Union faculty Peter Bedford, the John and Jane Wold Professor of Religious Studies; Jeffrey Corbin, associate professor of biology; Rebecca Cortez, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of Undergraduate Research; and Victoria Martinez, associate professor of Spanish, also attended.
An article by Frank Wicks, associate professor of mechanical engineering, was featured in Mechanical Engineering, a magazine produced by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The piece, “Mercury and Steam,” describes how design engineer William Emmet succeeded in getting General Electric into the steam turbine business, which started the path to gas turbines and aircraft jet engines.