College celebrates opening of Integrated Science Center

Photos: Amy Norsen

Three years after the College broke ground on its $33 million Integrated Science Center, thousands of people last week celebrated the opening of the new building with two days filled with symposia, tours and special events.

A crowd of more than 100 people gathered Friday, Nov. 10, outside the entrance of the building to watch Geneseo President Christopher C. Dahl cut a blue ribbon placed on the doors that lead to the atrium. Dahl was joined by Geneseo Provost Katherine Conway-Turner, New York State Sen. Dale M. Volker, R-Depew; Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks; Sam Spata, AIA, director of management and operations for HOK International Ltd., the architecture firm that designed the ISC; Thomas Judson, chairman/CEO of The PIKE Company, the Rochester-based company that is serving as the contractor for the project; Nicholas Rostow, university council and vice chancellor for legal affairs for SUNY; and Philip W. Wood, general manager of the SUNY Construction Fund. Also on hand during the ceremony were New York State Assemblymen Daniel J. Burling, R-Warsaw, Joseph D. Morelle '79, D-Irondequoit and Joseph Errigo, R-Conesus; Paul Cole, district director for the office of U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-Clarence; Jean Howard, chief of staff for the city of Rochester; SUNY Brockport President John R. Halstead; and Walter Cooper, SUNY Regent Emeritus who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Geneseo in 2005.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the crowd then moved inside the science building, where they took up every inch of the lobby, staircases and second and third floors to hear from Dahl and the College's guests.

Dahl thanked the elected officials, who helped obtain the funding that allowed the College to build the science center.

"We want to thank the state Legislature and our state government colleagues for all they do to fund the State University of New York, and we especially want to thank them for their vision and support for what is now the second of two innovative-and we think constructive and economical-five-year capital campaigns through our state university construction fund," said Dahl. "We believe this is a building for the whole metropolitan region-all six counties from here to the lake."

Brooks agreed the research that will be conducted at Geneseo isn't limited to the campus, but rather is part of the economic vitality of the upstate and western New York region.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of this celebration because it is institutions like Geneseo that put this region on the map, and it's state-of-the-art facilities such as the one here today that are really going to prepare us for the future in this region as we move forward.

"There's no greater incentive than the graduates who are educated, qualified and ready to go to work. What will happen in this building represents emerging technologies that we need to take advantage of in this region. This is the strength of our future."

After the audience heard from the guests who were part of designing and building the ISC, as well as those who helped secure the funding for the project, a keynote address was delivered by John H. Marburger III, science advisor to President George W. Bush and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

About 500 people packed a Newton Hall lecture room to hear Marburger discuss "Integrating the Sciences: The Importance of Multidisciplinary Research and Education."

On Thursday, hundreds of people attended lectures by Linda Rayor, an assistant professor of entomology and senior research associate at Cornell University, who delivered a presentation titled "A Romance With Spiders," and Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc., who delivered a talk titled "Evolution Across the Science Curriculum."

Also on Thursday, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Computational Astrophysics David Meisel received the Geneseo Alumni Association 2006 Honorary Lifetime Membership. This award recognizes a non-alumnus/a who has made outstanding contributions to Geneseo Alumni. George Wolfe '80 received the Geneseo Alumni Association 2006 Excellence in Education Award. This award is presented to a Geneseo graduate who has achieved extraordinary distinction in the field of education, including pre-kindergarten through post-secondary classroom teaching and school services.

The opening of the ISC celebrates Geneseo's continuing excellence as the state's most selective public institution and marks a new era in science teaching, learning and research in Western New York. It will allow the College, which has offered combined majors in biophysics, biochemistry, geochemistry and geophysics for many years, to integrate the sciences. The ISC will be completed in two phases. Phase I, which began in the fall of 2003, is the $33 million new ISC, featuring 105,000 square feet and housing 17 instructional labs and 36 faculty research labs. The building opened for classes this August and houses the college's departments of geological sciences and biology. Phase II, which will begin in the fall of 2007, will be a $20 million renovation to Greene Hall, which connects to the ISC. Greene Hall will continue to house the departments of chemistry and physics and astronomy.

Laura Doan delivers Second Annual Rose Alent Lecture

Laura Doan delivers the Rose Alent lecture.

Rita Gollin, distinguished professor emerita of English, enjoys conversation with Laura Doan.

Laura Doan, professor of cultural history and sexuality studies, English and American studies at the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester, delivered the Second Annual Rose Alent Lecture Nov. 13 to an audience of about 100 in the Alice Austin Theater in Brodie Hall.

Doan, a former English professor at Geneseo, is the author of the award-winning book "Fashioning Sapphism: The Origins of a Modern English Lesbian Culture." In her speech, titled "Topsy-Turvydom: Women, Sexuality and the Great War," Doan discussed her research that delves into the impact World War I had on women's lives.

Doan began her speech referencing the work of Mrs. Ethel Alec Tweedie (1867-1940), a socialite and author who once wrote: "every man is a soldier and every woman is a man."

Did World War I change women's bodies into men, creating a so-called female-man? Historians focused on women's transformation and female masculinity, as if men lacked the ability to be altered, she said. News articles and cartoons of the day-which Doan showed the audience-portrayed women as "strident" and with "brazen self-assurance."

During World War I in Great Britain, middle- and upper-class women were able to free themselves of the constraints of gender, but not of class, said Doan, whose research explores the rapid expansion of the social and cultural constructions of gender.

The war, she said, turned British women's daily lives upside down. They served in high-risk professions such as ambulance drivers; as mechanics trained to dismantle engines and use hacksaws; and in train stations, where they issued tickets and placed heavy luggage on board for passengers. But despite their economic independence, the women's parents would still insist that such work would "rob women of their feminine charm," said Doan.

"The actual women who performed men's work may have been widely admired, mocked or ignored by the mass media," said Doan.

Doan says the reality is "women and men had become something more than they were before the war" and that "women were becoming another sort of women."

In 2003, Doan received the John Boswell Prize for an Outstanding Book on Lesbian/Gay History by the Committee on Lesbian and Gay History of the American Historical Association. Doan also is the editor of several collections of essays on sexual identity, sexology, modernism and postmodernism.

After the lecture, the crowd went to the McClellan House at 26 Main St. for a bash. Alent was known for opening her home to students and colleagues for intellectual exchange as well as conviviality.

College surpasses SEFA monetary, participation goals;
34.2% of campus has made donations

The College’s 2006 State Employees Federated Appeal campaign has surpassed its monetary goal but still needs to meet its participatory goal, reports Sandra Argentieri, SEFA campaign coordinator for the College. As of Nov. 13, a total of 293 faculty and staff members donated $48,316.00, surpassing this year’s goal of $45,000. The College is holding the campaign over through this Friday, Nov. 17, in order to allow more members of the College community to participate and be a part of the successful campaign. To date, 34.2% of the campus has participated in the campaign. New pledge cards can be obtained from Argentieri at (585) 245-5621 or argenti@geneseo.edu or Jackie Connor at (585) 245-5553 or connor@geneseo.edu. Completed pledge cards must be returned in the enclosed envelope to area SEFA volunteers or to Connor in 222 Erwin Hall by this Friday, Nov. 17. On Monday, Nov.29, the College will hold the grand prize drawing, in which one SEFA donor will be awarded one night’s stay in a Jacuzzi suite at the Big Tree Inn.

Fulbright Scholar to talk today about Sino-American relations

Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Qui Huafei will deliver a free talk at 12:45 p.m. today, Nov. 14, in room 319 in the MacVittie College Union. The talk, titled "Contemporary Sino-American Relations," is for those interested in American foreign policy, China, Asia, international relations and world peace.

Nominations being accepted for Gloria and Van Quaal Outstanding Quality Service Award

Nominations and endorsements for the Gloria and Van Quaal Outstanding Quality Service Award, which seeks to recognize a classified staff employee from the Division of Administration and Finance who has had a consistently high level of performance during his or her career, will be accepted until Dec. 8. The division will honor an individual who has had a recognizable and meaningful impact at the College, and who serves as a role model to others. The winning nominee will receive the award, which was established in 1997 through an endowment with the Geneseo Foundation in honor of the Quaal's many years of devoted service to the College and the Geneseo Community. Past winners have included Joan Bush, Kevin Callan, Diane Cuozzo, Jacquelyn Love, Sam Maggio, Lenwood Rider, MaryEllen Siraguse, David Swales and Bruce Bennett. According to Kenneth Levison, vice president for administration, the recipient will receive a certificate and a check in the amount of $750 from the Geneseo Foundation. For more information, or for nomination and endorsement forms, contact Kirk Spangler in the office of facilities services by phone at ext. 5662 or by e-mail at spangler@geneseo.edu. The award will be presented at the division's annual holiday party.

International Film Series to screen Chinese film this Thursday

The Alan Lutkus International Film Series will screen a Chinese film at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 16, in 204 Newton Hall. The film is free and open to the public. “The World,” a 2004 film with a running time of 139 minutes, is a compassionate eye on the daily loves, friendships and dreams of the twentysomethings from China’s remote provinces who come to live and work at Beijing’s World Park, where lavish shows are performed amid scaled-down replicas of the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids and even the Twin Towers. Considered director Jia Zhangke’s funniest, most inventive and touching work to date. In Mandarin and Shanxi with English subtitles. Discussant: Jun Okada (English).

New Energy Jazz Ensemble to perform this Thursday

The School of the Arts will present the New Energy Jazz Ensemble at 8 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 16, in Wadsworth Auditorium. The concert will be directed by Jonathan Kruger and David Gibson. It is free and open to the public. 

SOTA presents Musical Theatre Club Review this Thursday-Saturday

The School of the Arts will present a Musical Theatre Club Revue at 8 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 16, through Saturday, Nov. 18, in the Alice Austin Theatre in Brodie Hall. The performances are free and open to the public.

Oswego author to talk about women's rights movement this Thursday

Judy Wellman, SUNY Oswego emerita professor of history, and author of "The Road to Seneca Falls: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the First Woman's Rights Convention," (Illinois, 2004) will talk at 4 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 16, in 202 Newton Hall. The title of her talk is "African Americans, The Underground Railroad, and the Woman's Rights Movement in Upstate New York." Wellman's presentation will include visuals of Underground Railroad sites. Her talk is sponsored by the history department. The talk is part of the College's commemoration of Susan B. Anthony, who died in 1906-14 years before women gained the vote. Geneseo's theme year is titled "Susan B. Anthony: Women's Rights, Women's Power."

New exhibit in Milne Library explores life for children in Haiti

A new photographic exhibit about life for children in Haiti is on display in Milne Library through Dec. 10. "Looking Through Their Eyes: A Child's-Eye View of Life and Development in Borgne, Haiti" seeks to expose the realities of village life in Borgne through the eyes of its children. The object of this exhibit is to raise awareness about poverty, teach about the power of hope that drives development and to create a connection between the world of the children of Borgne and our own. This educational development project, conducted by Sarah Brownell and Kevin Foos of Rochester, seeks to shed light on both the positive and negative aspects of life in this small impoverished Haitian community. The exhibit is sponsored by Haiti Outreach-Pwoje Espwa (H.O.P.E.), the College's anthropology department and Milne Library. For more information, contact led2@geneseo.edu or greco@geneseo.edu.

Geneseo Festival Chorus and Geneseo Symphony Orchestra to perform this Sunday

The Geneseo Festival Chorus and Geneseo Symphony Orchestra will perform “Music of Puccini: Messa di Gloria, Preludio Sinfonico in A,” at 3 p.m. this Sunday, Nov. 19, in Wadsworth Auditorium. Gerard Floriano will direct the Festival Chorus, and James Walker will direct the Symphony Orchestra. The concert is free and open to the public.

Professor Scott to talk about women lobbyists this Thursday

Denise Scott, associate professor of sociology at Geneseo, will deliver a talk titled "The Best Kept Secret: Women Lobbyists and Corporate Power in the U.S." at 4 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 16, in 213 Milne Library. The talk is part of the College's commemoration of Susan B. Anthony, who died in 1906-14 years before women gained the vote. Geneseo's theme year is titled "Susan B. Anthony: Women's Rights, Women's Power."

Lederer Gallery exhibit closes this Sunday

The Bertha V.B. Lederer Gallery, located in Brodie Hall, presents “Inspired by Her,” a two-woman show featuring the work of Dawn Hunter Phelps and Kate Kretz and inspired by the physical and psychological states of women. Mural sized drawings by Hunter and sculptural fabric art by Kretz draw inspiration from women’s bodies, experiences and psyches. The gallery is open noon-4 p.m. Sundays–Wednesdays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. The exhibit runs through this Sunday, Nov. 19. For more information, call (585) 245-5814 or go to /galleries/lederer_spring_2007.

Lockhart Gallery exhibit explores art in science

The Lockhart Gallery presents “The Art of Science” in conjunction with the College’s dedication of the new Integrated Science Center. The exhibit will run through Dec. 14 in the gallery, located in the McClellan House, 26 Main St. in the village of Geneseo. The sciences—including mathematics, biology, geology, anatomy and physics—have provided source material for artists throughout history. This exhibition of contemporary artists reveals the art (sometimes in its aesthetic beauty, sometimes in its awe-inspiring power) that is found in science. The exhibit includes the work of nationally and internationally recognized local artists: Doug Anderson and Dan DeZarn, faculty in Geneseo’s School of the Arts, and Andrew Davidhazy and Michael Peres, faculty of photographic science at Rochester Institute of Technology. Also on view from the gallery’s permanent collection is Jane Jeffrey’s scientific watercolor illustrations of insects. The gallery is open noon-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays with extended hours of noon-8 p.m. Thursdays. The exhibit is free and open to the public. (Gallery closed Nov. 22-26 for Thanksgiving Break)

Kinetic Gallery exhibit closes this Friday

The Kinetic Gallery in the MacVittie College Union presents an exhibit by Danielle Boudet, an artist from the Oneonta, N.Y., area, titled “You Know You Want It.” The exhibit explores the ideas of “spectacle, fetish, and façade” within the context of a culture where commercialism and media bombardment of advertising subjects the viewers to a constant stream of images intended to create only illusory glimpses of reality. By using stylized and repeated images of fruit, Boudet comments on the way in which advertisers create alluring images that cater to over-riding social overtones in order to sell, sell, sell. It is the goal of the Kinetic Gallery to showcase, as well as foster, a greater appreciation for more unconventional artwork and innovative artistic ideas, said Justine Meccio, arts and exhibits programmer and coordinator for Activities Commission. The intention of the Kinetic Gallery is to get people thinking about art as part of everyday life, to inspire us to see the potential for creativity and art in the world all around us. The exhibit runs through this Friday, Nov. 17. The gallery is open from noon-4 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays and Sundays and from noon-7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. For more information, call (585) 245-6876 or e-mail kinetic@geneseo.edu.

Save the Date!

GENseng: Geneseo's Asian American Performance Ensemble will present "Kimchee and Chitlins" Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 in the Black Box Theatre in Brodie Hall. The play, by Elizabeth Wong, is "a serious comedy about getting along" which looks at people's prejudices and assumptions about race and ethnicity through the experiences of Koreans and African Americans in Flatbush, Brooklyn. It will be directed by Randy Barbara Kaplan, associate professor of performing arts in Geneseo's School of the Arts, GENseng's founder and director and coordinator of the College's Asian and Asian American Studies and Programming. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30; 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1; and 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2. Tickets are $6 and are available at http://bbo.geneseo.edu. All tickets are general admission. Some traditional seating will be provided, but audience members should bring blankets and pillows and be prepared to sit on the floor. For more information, contact Kaplan at kaplanr@geneseo.edu or (585) 245-5806.

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