Previous Speakers/Events

Brains and Behavior

Jean-Paul Orgeron

Philosophy

October 3, 2013

Few of us would accept the claim that our behavior provides an accurate account of the mental workings of our brains. We tend to view these workings as privileged. Join us for a discussion about brains and behavior. Dr. Jean-Paul Orgeron will outline some of the history and some of the recent developments on this issue.

Disparate Perceptions of Environmental Change: Who’s right and does it matter?

Naomi Shanguhyia

Geography

April 4, 2013

Incorporating perceptions and experiences of local communities has become an important aspect in studying environmental change processes and their impacts. This approach is predicated on the assumption that communities in a given locale will have similar or complementary perceptions that will provide a general picture of the nature of changes that are occurring. But what happens when these perceptions are disparate? Whose perceptions should be viewed as being representative of the reality? Based on research that was conducted in rural western Kenya, this presentation will highlight some of the divergent views held by community members on the changes occurring in this region. Land cover change detection done using Landsat images shows loss of forest cover between 1985 and 2001. However, community members have contradictory views of how the loss of the forest cover has affected the region’s rainfall regime. I will discuss some of the historical and political-economic dimensions that shed light on this and point to a case of misreading environmental change by some community members.

Historical Analysis of Oil and Gas Well Plugging in New York: Is the Regulatory System Working?

Ron Bishop

Chemistry and Biochemistry

February 14, 2013

Ron conducted an evaluation of New York State’s regulatory program for plugging inactive oil and gas wells. Analysis of reports from the Division of Mineral Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, reveals that three-fourths of the state’s abandoned oil and gas wells were never plugged. Inadequate enforcement efforts have resulted in steady increases of unplugged oil and gas wells abandoned since 1992. Further, no program exists or is proposed to monitor abandoned wells which were plugged. These results strongly suggest that comprehensive reform and increased agency resources would be required to effectively regulate conventional oil and gas development in New York. Industrial expansion into shale oil and gas development should be postponed to avoid adding stress to an already compromised regulatory system.

Hope: Just What the Doctor Ordered

Anita Levine

Elementary Education and Reading

December 5, 2012

We all know that teaching, whether in a K-12 or higher education setting, is chockfull of all kinds of stressors that can wear us down, even make us wonder if we’re in the right profession. But what enables teachers to stay? What fuels us to continue “in spite of it all?” Realistic hope is considered that essential ingredient. Based on research conducted, this presentation will share findings on what hope is (and is not), and teachers’ perspectives on what nurtures their hope.

Islands of Poetry in a Sea of Calculation

Toke Knudsen

Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics

November 8, 2012

Poems of seasonal description are found as chapters in some Sanskrit astronomical treatises, in particular those of Bhāskara II (b. 1114 CE) and Jñānarāja (fl. 1503 CE). Refined and complex, these poems stand out in treatises that details the formulae of mathematical astronomy and the technicalities of cosmology. Sophisticated poetic techniques went into their composition, such as the creation of multiple layers of meaning within a given verse. For example, a verse may simultaneously describe the spring season as well as the activities of the god Kṛṣṇa during that season. In addition to discussing the structure of the poems, the talk will also explore the reasons for including them in astronomical treatises by an investigation of the texts and their contexts.

2012 College at Oneonta Foundation Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity

Student Recipients

May 9, 2012

2012 College at Oneonta Foundation Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity

AWARDEES

Alyson Marmet / Faculty Mentor: Jacqueline Bennett (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

Quantitative Comparison of the “Greenness” of the Ethyl Lactate Method of Imine Synthesis with Other Published Methods

Danielle Willsey / Faculty Mentor: Florian Reyda (Biology / Biological Field Station) A New Tapeworm Species from Dasyatis zugei (Pale-edged stingray) from

Coastal Malaysian Borneo

Dustin Smith / Faculty Mentor: Kenneth Walters (Psychology) Predicting College Student Binge Drinking Using the Five-Factor Model

Erin Potter / Faculty Mentor: Melissa Godek (Earth & Atmospheric Sciences) Assessing the Impact of Air Mass Frequency on Major Flood Events
in the Susquehanna River Basin

Christina Craft, Christianna Marron (co-awardees) / Faculty Mentor: Keith Schillo (Biology) Effects of Wheat Grass Juice on Blood Oxygenation

Public Art Defines Our Landscape

Thomas Sakoulas

Art

April 12, 2012

Public art began its development the moment humans began organizing in cities, and has been defining our urban landscapes ever since. Its development parallels the advance of human cultural progression through history by transforming physical environment into a cultural one. Public art has been a powerful political tool in the hands of authority, a coveted commodity, a conduit of economic development, a source of controversy, as well as the subject of hate and ridicule. Through it all, art in the urban landscape has been an effective agent of cultural transcendence. I will discuss the brief historical perspective of public sculpture through the use of some well-known public art, and I will reflect on the culturally austere landscape of our campus.

Movement Culture and the Future of Media: Lessons from U.S. Working Class

Brian Dolber

History

December 8, 2011

This past year has seen the growth of resistance to the current political

economic order internationally, in the Middle East and North Africa, in

Europe, in Wisconsin and on Wall Street. Previously successful efforts to

address extreme inequality and economic instability were shaped by and

assisted through movement cultures, as in the 1930s and the 1960s. What are

the prospects for developing a movement culture in the wake of the current

economic collapse and transformations in media systems? Brian Dolber will

discuss his research on the power and problems of the Jewish labor press of

the 1920s and 1930s in order to point towards possibilities for progressive

change today. He argues that contemporary union leaders need to commit

themselves not simply to contract gains and protecting members short terms

interests, but to a philosophy of broad social unionism in order to make

lasting change in our hypercommercial, neoliberal environment.

Dangerous Waters:
Why Millions of People Die Every Year in Developing Countries

Tracy Allen

Geography

October 20, 2011

Water-related illnesses are the leading cause of human sickness and death. Worldwide, nearly one in six people lacks access to safe drinking water and more than one in every three people does not have improved sanitation. The health and economic impacts in less developed countries are staggering. Water is a basic human necessity and should be a basic human right. From the rain-drenched tropics of Bangladesh and Panama to the parched deserts of Kazakhstan and Tibet, this presentation will explore the actuality and consequences of the world's most serious, yet often ignored, crisis.

Student recipients and nominees of the College at Oneonta Foundation Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity

and

Recipients of 2010/11 Student Grant Awards for Research and Creative Activity

May 2, 2011

4:30-6:30 p.m.

Morris Conference Center, Otsego Grille

2011 Award Winners

Christopher Aucoin

Faculty Mentor: Leslie Hasbargen (Earth Sciences)

Using GPR, GPS and Close-Range Photography to Map and Characterize Dinosaur Tracks in the Connecticut River Valley

Tami LaPilusa

Faculty Mentor: Jeffrey Heilveil (Biology)

Genetic Diversity of the Commodity Species Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille (Decapoda: Gecarcinidae) on Andros Island, Bahamas

Steven Piteo

Faculty Mentor: Caitlin Smith Rapoport (Theatre)

Sound Designer in Collaboration with The Deconstructive Theatre Company and Strong Coffee Stage on an Adaptation of Antigone

Tyson Robb

Faculty Mentor: Martha Growdon (Earth Sciences)

Alternative Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage

BLONDES Research Group: Marykate Kalotschke, Anyango Kamina, Samantha Kamp, Michelle Linder, Alyson Marmet, Nicole Mihou, Carolyn Nasr, Megan Record

Faculty Mentor: Jacqueline Bennett (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

Lactic Acid as a Green Catalyst for Imine Synthesis

Green Synthesis of Imines from p-Ethoxyaniline and Various Aldehydes

Green Synthesis of Imines Derived from a Common Topical Anesthetic

Cell Imaging using Fluorescent Imines

Sponsored by:

The College at Oneonta Foundation

The Grants Development Office

The Faculty Convivium Committee

The College Senate Committee on Research

Conservative Christian Anarchism: Henry Adams and the Right

Michael Koch

Philosophy

April 12, 2011

In The Education of Henry Adams Henry Adams, grandson of John Quincy Adams, great-grandson of John Adams, introduces the reader to a manikin. He names this manikin “Henry Adams.” The manikin, Henry Adams, creates a political party, “conservative Christian anarchism.” I will discuss conservative Christian anarchism as a political philosophy and contrast it with the implicit political philosophies of the contemporary American right. Concluding, I will argue that Adams’ ironic presentation of this form of anarchism is important for understanding our political situation.

Natural Climate Variability Impacts on Intra-Seasonal U.S. Winter Temperatures

Melissa Godek

Earth Sciences

March 3, 2011

Across the country, seasonal weather is significantly impacted by natural climate variability patterns (like the well known “El Niño” and “La Niña”) that can be complex to forecast. Predicting these pattern impacts so that climatologists can determine if the Northeast will have a warm, dry winter or a cold, wet one is even more complicated. Nevertheless, recent decades have seen great advances in the science of forecasting weather based on climate oscillations. Seasonal outlooks of temperature and precipitation are now presented to the public for a region months in advance and as percent departures from average conditions. Of course, human-induced global change impacts on temperature certainly must be accounted for in order to improve the confidence with which these forecasts are issued and their overall accuracy. This presentation will address some of the limitations in our current understandings of these climate patterns. In addition, I will discuss one method for improving seasonal forecasts that accounts for global change signals and the complex day-to-day variability of maximum and minimum temperature that is related to large-scale climate patterns.

Sustainability and Ethics: The Uncommon Tragedy of the Aral Sea. From Modern Disaster to Ancient Solutions: Central Asian gardens as paradigm ensuring ecological sustainability as alternative to desertification

Achim Koeddermann

Philosophy

December 8, 2010

As UN declarations from Stockholm to Rio endorse sustainability, the Aral Sea is still the worlds largest environmental disaster zone: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon just called the depletion of the Aral Sea a "shocking disaster". The UN cannot provide the necessary framework for binding arbitration or international intervention. Environmental Ethics, not Law, can provide the necessary foundation for future solutions. Community bound agreements on transnational measures for rational use of water resources provide a solution as old as the ancient irrigation systems of Samarkand, Bukhara and the Fergana Valley, called the Garden of Uzbekistan. Water, by its very transnational nature, transcends the property bound legal concepts that falsely assume full command over a commodity. Possible avenues for answers that contradict the assumption of a necessary decline, or tragedy, of the commons can be found in the work of Nobel Price winner Elinor Ostrom, and the ancient community based Uzbek Water User Associations. Their successful models can be extended to the region, grant stability in the region, and provide an old/new concept for community based Sustainability to ensure success. Dangers come from trans boundary pollution, salination, and seismic risks.

Portrait of the Teacher as a Writer

Gustavo Arango

Foreign Languages

November 11, 2010

This talk explores the meaning of literary texts when the main characters are writers. Taking as a point of departure his novel El origen del mundo (The Origin of the World), Professor Arango reflects on the challenges of making a true and sincere portrait of life, when both the author and the character are teachers and writers. The presentation includes references to works by renowned Latin American authors, such as García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Julio Cortázar; and explains how a representation of a character as writer is also a representation of the readers in the acts of narrating and giving meaning to their own lives.

The Community Speaks (and Sings!): Oral History and Folklife of Central New York

William S. Walker

History, Cooperstown Graduate Program

October 14, 2010

This talk will provide an overview of folklife and oral history recordings held by the New York State Historical Association and collected by Cooperstown Graduate Program students since 1964. It will discuss the uses and abuses of oral history and detail efforts to make this collection available digitally on the internet <cgpcommunitystories.org>.

Old Lessons for a New millennium:

Nature Writing and Environmentalism in the 21st century

Daniel G. Payne

English

May 5, 2010

At the time of his death in 1921, John Burroughs (born in Roxbury, New York in 1837) was America’s most beloved nature writer, a best-selling author whose friends and admirers included Walt Whitman, Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison. The popularity of his work encouraged his publisher, Houghton Mifflin, to publish or reissue the work of several other nature writers, including that of Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. Since 1992, SUNY College at Oneonta has hosted the biannual John Burroughs Nature Writing Conference & Seminar (“Sharp Eyes”), which honors the influence of Burroughs on American nature writing. The scope of the conference is not limited solely to Burroughs, however, as each year the writers and scholars in attendance focus on a theme of significance to modern nature writers and scholars of literary environmentalism. The theme of the 2010 conference is “Old Lessons for a New Millennium” and will examine the work of writers who contributed to the early conservation movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and the work of contemporary writers who are influencing the development of early twenty-first century environmentalism. This presentation will give a brief overview of Burroughs’s life and work and introduce some of the topics that will be addressed at the 2010 “Sharp Eyes” conference.

How Much Should Animals Matter in Biomedical Research?

Keith Schillo

Biology

March 25, 2010

Our relationships with animals seem awkward and confusing. On one hand, we express an extraordinary amount of respect for them by attending to their needs and protecting them from harm. On the other hand, we also inflict pain and discomfort on them in order to satisfy our own needs and desires. For example, in 2009 Americans spent over $45 billion on goods and services designed to make life as comfortable as possible for their beloved pets. In contrast our government agencies spend an estimated $18 billion per year on animal experiments that involve practices that subject animals to varying degrees of pain and discomfort. While it is clear that animals matter a great deal in our society, it is also evident that society sanctions a significant amount of animal suffering. In this brief discussion I should like to analyze the prevailing social ethic on animal experimentation and argue that public support for animal research is contingent on the extent to which animal experiments yield tangible benefits to society. In addition, I shall discuss how such expectations have shaped current animal welfare laws and speculate on how such legislation is likely to impact future biomedical research.

Life at the extreme: Exploring the mysteries of Antarctic lakes

Devin Castendyk

Earth Sciences

February 17, 2010

Between December 16 and January 13, Dr. Devin Castendyk, Earth Sciences, conducted research on the continent of Antarctica. He studied the circulation of liquid water in ice covered lakes located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. These lakes provide one of the most extreme habitats for life on the planet, and may resemble some of the first ecosystems that evolved on Earth, and possibly Mars. In addition to his research, Dr. Castendyk will discuss the unique history, biology, physical challenges, day-to-day life, and sheer beautify associated with the world’s coldest, highest and driest continent.

Biodiversity Loss: A Global Challenge

Ho Hun Leung, Matthew Hendley, Robert Compton, Brian Haley, Joseph Chiang, Shiao-yun Chaing, Hanfu Mi, Maria Montoya, Orlando Legname, Thomas Horvath, Thomas Sakoulas, Walter Little, and Joshua Rosenthal

December 8, 2009

This collection gives voice to the peoples and groups impacted by globalization as they seek to negotiate their identities, language use, and territorial boundaries within a larger global context. Rather than viewing globalization as one-dimensional, (i.e., cultural, economic, or political), the approaches taken by the authors reflect a nuanced and multifaceted discussion of globalization that integrates all three perspectives. The cases encompass the historical eras of colonization, Cold War, and post-Cold War and utilize multi- and interdisciplinary approaches. These approaches allow for the exploration of identity, boundaries, language use, and other issues in the context of specific temporal and spatial contexts. This book will appeal to both students and scholars interested in the globalization from a broader yet integrated perspective.

Table of contents

Prologue: Imagining Globalization through Changes in Place--Ho Hon Leung and Matthew Hendley *

PART I: LANGUAGE

Chapter1 English: A Globalized Language in Science and Technology—Joseph F. Chiang

Chapter 2 Global English in Asian Fiction--Xu Xi

Chapter 3 Glocalization through Global Brand Transposition--Shiao-Yun Chiang and Hanfu Mi

PART II: IDENTITIES

Chapter 4 Maintenance of Spanish as a Heritage Language in a Global World--Maria Cristina Montoya

Chapter 5 Language Choice among Maya Handicrafts Vendors in an International Tourism Marketplace--Walter E. Little

Chapter 6 Making of Pacific Mall: Chinese Identity and Architecture in Toronto--Ho Hon Leung and Raymond Lau

Chapter 7 Citizens or Consumers – British Conservative Political Propaganda Towards Women in Two World Wars--Matthew Hendley

PART III: BOUNDARIES

Chapter 8 Capoeira and Globalization--Joshua M. Rosenthal

Chapter 9 Immigration and Indigenization in the Mexican Diaspora in the Southwestern United States--Brian Haley

Chapter 10 Construction, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction of State Legitimacy in South Africa and Japan--Robert W. Compton Jr.

Chapter 11 Searching for Semantics in Music: A Global Discourse--Orlando Legname

Chapter 12 Human Movements: Consequences to Global Biogeography--Thomas Horvath

Epilogue: Echoes from the Past Reflections--Thomás Sakoulas

Biodiversity Loss: A Global Challenge

Greg Fulkerson

Sociology

November 18, 2009

This presentation considers three macro-sociological theories that attempt to explain environmental outcomes at the global level. In this case, hypotheses from each are tested to examine how well they explain biodiversity loss. The first is human ecology, which is mainly concerned with the effects of population size; the second is ecological modernization, which focuses on the efforts of the state to solve environmental problems; and the third is political economy, which argues that the global capitalist system of stratification between countries creates and perpetuates environmental problems such as biodiversity loss. Results mainly support human ecological and political economic hypotheses. Support is not found for ecological modernization theory. Implications are considered with respect to policy making and state environmentalism.

Energy for the Present, the Future, and Sustainability

Joseph Chiang

Chemistry & Biochemistry

October 15, 2009

Energy for the present and the future is a major concern for all of us. What is energy? Energy is the power or capability to do work and is used in every part of our lives. With energy we can produce food, build transportation devices, build shelters, make weapons, prolong our lives, etc. The sun was the only energy source in early human life. People worked when the sun rose and rested when the sun set. Until fire was discovered by our ancestors, could humans work longer. The first use of fire was to produce heat by burning wood, which was the major energy source for a long time. By the middle of the 18th century, coal became the major source of fuel. This led England into a new era, the “Industrial Revolution”. Oil is now the cheapest, most readily available, and convenient source of energy for motor vehicles. The by-products from can be used to manufacture optical fibers, computer hardware, automobiles, televisions, building materials, fabrics/clothing, polymers, and even solar panels. Due to the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels and rising costs of energy, we have to search for alternative energy sources. We cannot eliminate the use of oil (one of the fossil energy sources), since it is a necessity for its by-products. We can reduce the dependence of oil, but we cannot eliminate it, as Nobel laureate Al Gore claims, in ten years.

A Tasty Approach to Green Chemistry

Jacqueline Bennett

Chemistry & Biochemistry

April 22, 2009

What do you think of when you hear the term "chemical?" Do images of scientists with crazy hair concocting toxic brews come to mind? If so, please come to the next convivium where Dr. Jacqueline Bennett will dispel these ideas (except for, perhaps, the crazy hair). She will discuss why chemicals are sometimes considered "good" or "bad" and how her research group has made significant advances in green chemistry. In particular, she will demonstrate how using FDA-approved food additives can improve the process of making pharmaceutically and environmentally important substances. This talk is being presented as part of SUNY Oneonta's Earth Day and Green Dragon Week activities and should appeal to anyone interested in environmental concerns.

What You’re Really Saying: How Voice Production Communicates in the Classroom and the Workplace

Andrew Kahl

Theatre

March 18, 2009

Challenges faced by professional voice users - actors, singers and public speakers - are also a familiar reality for teachers and business professionals who rely on vocal expressiveness and oratory skills to engage students and communicate effectively. Our voices are critical to our work, but fundamentals of breath support, resonance, articulation and vocal health are not simply tools of the trade; they are the basis of who we are in the classroom and how we are perceived in the workplace. More importantly, the shades of meaning we decode in the voices of our students and colleagues speak volumes. Paralinguistic signals - cues to which our ears are keenly attuned - often provide us with far more valuable information than the words that we hear. The human voice is not simply a conveyor of language. Its subtle harmonics have a profound effect on human relationships, perception and learning.

Unconscious Currents in the Stream of Consciousness: The Paradox of Learning Without Awareness

Geoffrey O’Shea

Psychology

February 19, 2009

What exactly is consciousness? How do we experience it? Can we localize it in any one region in the brain? Does too much of it make us sad? Can we bring it under our control? Can we get by without it? From the clinical studies of Freud to the work of modern neuroscientists who view the physiological patterns of activity generated by the brain, psychologists have had a longstanding interest in the elements of consciousness. One issue when considering questions of consciousness is that we are not conscious of the extent to which we rely on unconscious mechanisms to mediate our everyday experiences. We simply do not detect the presence of the unconscious in routine activities such as driving, conversing with others, making decisions, and even thinking about ourselves. Recent research in psychology, in a subfield known as implicit memory, has also demonstrated the presence of the unconscious in one of the most fundamental of human activities, learning. These studies have shown that a disconnection can sometimes arise between a previously stored memory of an event and the conscious acknowledgement of this memory. In other words, we can demonstrate the existence of knowledge of some event sans a recollection of its corresponding memory. In this convivium. Dr. O'Shea will discuss research techniques that he uses to examine the role of the unconscious in learning. Specifically, he will review recent studies from his laboratory that examine the portability of the unconscious or the extent to which unconscious mechanisms enable the conceptual transfer of a body of knowledge from the domain of the learning experience to a separate domain that has not been previously experienced. This is a talk that should appeal not only to psychologists, but also to philosophers, biologists, educators, and anyone interested in issues of consciousness.

Regulating Bodies Through Rhythmic Rituals

Joshua Frye

Communication & Media

November 13, 2008

In this presentation, I will explore the nature of rhythm (deployed in ritual) as a nonverbal symbolic instrument that influences human bodies to relate to the natural and supernatural, poetic and political, in certain ways The dialectic of sociobiology suggests that the very substance of our being is a negotiated flux between the realms of the symbolic and animalic and that human health, happiness, discipline, and liberation may be implicated in pursuing the right rhythms within the socially constructed physical self. The chief aim of this exploration is to provide a conceptual charting of how the rhythmic can bring into being fundamentally different experiences for the physical body of those identified with a specific rhythm- infused symbol-system. Examples will include Native American tribal ceremony, children's nursery rhymes, bardic and shamanic used of rhythm, the church litany, and political machinery of drum, bugle, and march.

Why Nature Sings a Symmetrical Song

Michael Faux

Physics & Astronomy

October 15, 2008

The laws of nature exhibit beautiful symmetries not evident in our everyday life. These manifest in curious patterns inherent in an emerging mathematical framework relevant to investigating various mysteries, such as how gravity works and what is the structure of the microcosm. Physicists view these patterns as clues and, like detectives, use them in an ongoing quest to understand what makes the world tick. In this talk. Dr. Faux will explain some surprising implications of such reasoning using pretty pictures only (no equations), and then discuss how research at SUNY Oneonta aims at resolving some outstanding contemporary puzzles related to aspects of this perspective.

A Playback Experiment to Investigate the Unique Singing Behavior of the Stripe-Breasted Wren

Louis Hall

Student Research Poster Presenter

May 13, 2008

Oneonta Creeks Water Quality Assessment

Jonathon Wasser

Student Research Poster Presenter

May 13, 2008

The Laser Donut

Monisha Kamala Mahanta

Physics & Astronomy

May 7, 2008