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  • SPITZER SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE PRESENTS EXHIBIT OF JOSE OUBRERIE

    — Church in Firminy, Miller House to be Featured —

    The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture (Spitzer School) at The City College of New York (CCNY) presents an exhibit on the works of noted French architect and author Jose Oubrerie.  It debuts on February 16 and will be on display through May 14.

    The exhibit will feature Oubrerie’s best-known works, the Church of St. Pierre in Firminy, France, and the Miller House in Lexington, Ky.  This is the Spitzer School’s first exhibit to feature the work of an outside architect.  It will be displayed in the Spitzer School’s exhibit gallery located in the central atrium.Church at Firminy

    In addition, The School is producing the book on Oubrerie’s work that will feature many photos and drawings of the two buildings.  It will be published by Oscar Riera Publishing and is also made possible by a generous donation from Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown.

    Mr. Oubrerie, who now teaches in the United States, is the last living protégé of Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, aka Le Corbusier, the French architect considered one of the pioneers of modern architecture.

    “He worked on many of the later works of the office, most notable the design for Firminy Church,” said George Ranalli, the Dean of the Spitzer School.  “After Corbusier’s death, he went into practice and produced many excellent projects, especially the two projects in our exhibit, the Miller House in Kentucky and the completion of the Firminy Church.  His work is extraordinary.”

    The Gallery will be open to the public 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Friday.  The Spitzer School is located at 141 Convent Avenue in Manhattan.

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • CCNY JUNIOR LUISIRENE HERNÁNDEZ RECEIVES TRAVEL GRANT

    — One of 13 Minority Students to Present Poster at Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco —

    Luisirene Hernández, a junior majoring in biochemistry at The City College of New York (CCNY), is one of 13 students nationwide selected to receive a Minority Travel Award to attend the Biophysical Society’s 54th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.  During the meeting, February 20 – 24, she will present a poster “Obtaining Functionally Relevant Protein Structural Transitions Using a Combined Physics/Structure-Based Coarse Grained Model,” and be honored at a reception February 20.

    Working in the lab of Dr. Marco Ceruso, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Ms. Hernández investigated the conditions under which a computer simulation technique called ELNEDIN could more readily identify functionally relevant directions of conformational change in large protein structures.Junior Luisirene Hernandez and Professor Marco Ceruso review computer-generated protein structural transition simulations.

    ELNEDIN, which was developed by Professor Ceruso and colleagues in the the Netherlands, combines an elastic network with a physics-based coarse-grained force field.  She also investigated how modifying the topology of the elastic network affects the dynamic behavior of ELNEDIN models.

    The thrust of the research is to study how well conformational changes associated with the function of proteins can be reproduced, Professor Ceruso explained.  Noting that coarse-grained models have limitations, he pointed out that “Luisirene’s research tries to understand the comfort zone within which the models can predict these changes reliably.”

    Ms. Hernández, who was born in New York and attended high school in the Dominican Republic, said she joined Professor Ceruso’s lab two years ago because his research was “different from what everyone else was doing.”  The lab develops new tools for accurately modeling and simulating very large macromolecular assemblies in realistic environments. Its current focus is on developing coarse-grained models for various bio-molecules including sugars, proteins and DNA.

    In addition to her work in Professor Ceruso’s lab, Ms. Hernández, who has a 3.7 G.P.A., participates in CCNY’s CCAPP (City College Academy for Professional Preparation) and MARC/RISE (Minority Access and Research Career/Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) programs.  After graduation, her goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • Harlem Is Focus Of Health Commissioner’s Community Lecture February 17 At CCNY

    Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Commissioner of Health, will deliver The President’s College and Community Lecture at The City College of New York (CCNY), 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 17, in The Great Hall.  His topic will be “Take Care New York 2012: Building a Healthier Harlem.”  The lecture is free and open to the public.

    Take Care New York 2012 is an action plan for individuals and families, health care providers, community organizations, businesses and government to make New York City healthier.  It sets ambitious goals to improve children’s health, improve neighborhoods by strengthening access to affordable healthy foods and safe housing, and diminish health disparities among New Yorkers of different races, ethnicities and income levels.New York City Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene Dr. Thomas Farley

    Those disparities are particularly acute in Harlem, an area characterized by large minority populations, high poverty rates and low education levels.  It suffers from higher teen pregnancy and infant mortality rates; higher rates of hospitalization for heart disease, mental illness and asthma; greater reliance on emergency rooms for primary care; higher obesity and diabetes rates, and a higher cancer mortality rate.

    In his talk, Dr. Farley will not only touch on the Take Care New York initiative, but also discuss city policies to reduce health disparities, and some of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s initiatives to create healthier environments for New Yorkers.  Prior to the lecture, he will meet with CCNY students, faculty and members of community-based organizations for a discussion on how these groups can support Take Care New York’s goals and initiatives currently underway at The College.

    Several entities at The City College, including the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering / CCNY Partnership, have programs that address public health issues, including health disparities.

    For example, fourth-year students in the Sophie Davis School’s B.S./M.D. program are placed in community health centers as part of a course on primary care and medical interviewing.  One of the course requirements is a service-learning project that benefits patients who utilize the site where they are working.

    Through the Memorial Sloan-Kettering/CCNY Partnership, CCNY’s Media and Communications Arts Department has developed a market research lab course that examines how to better understand key communications cues that help to achieve better awareness of specific cancers.  For the fall 2009 semester, the class worked with CCNY Wellness and Counseling Center to raise awareness of cervical cancer and the human pampilloma virus vaccine.

    The Memorial Sloan-Kettering/CCNY Partnership is also establishing a community outreach program to coordinate efforts in research, education and training.  It will connect investigators with community-based organizations, service providers and other stakeholders.  In addition, the program has established two community action boards to identify cancer-related health needs; one focusing on access to care, the other on prevention and risk reduction.

    In addition, a science and technology seminar offered to students in the Macaulay Honors College focuses on the science behind Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (NYCDOHMH) policies to reduce key risk factors for coronary heart disease.  Upon completion, students are able to assess the policies and health interventions based on their understanding of the scientific literature and identify health interventions that would improve the health of a New York City community.

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • Exhibit At CCNY Highlights Diversity Of U.S. Latino Communities

    The United States’ Latino population, 35 million strong according to the 2000 U.S. Census, is a diverse mixture of people bonded by a common language, but with roots in different parts of the Western Hemisphere. 

    “Latinos in the U.S.: ¡Presente!,” a new exhibit at The City College of New York (CCNY), highlights the diverse Latino immigrant groups that have contributed to this rapidly growing Spanish-speaking demographic.  It opens February 8 and runs through June 10, 2010, in the CCNY Cohen Library Atrium.
      
    “This exhibit documents the continually rewritten migratory landscape of this country from the Latino perspective,” said co-curator Sarah Aponte, Professor and Head Librarian at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Archives and Library.  “For instance, places like ‘El Barrio’ (Spanish Harlem), which was home to Italian and Jewish immigrants, among others, in the 19th century and to Puerto Rican immigrants in the 20th century, has now earned the nickname ‘Little Puebla’ due to the recent wave of Mexican immigration.  There are similar stories throughout the historical and geographic breadth of this nation.”

    Daisy V. Dominguez, Reference Librarian at CCNY’s Cohen Library and the  other co-curator, pointed out that “Latinos in the U.S.: ¡Presente!” traces the historical and contemporary presence of an estimated 20 different Latino immigrant groups in the United States.

    “It does this by highlighting the experiences of some native and Afro-Latino groups and also by showing not necessarily the most numerous populations but some who are potentially unknown,” Ms. Dominguez said.  “This includes Chilean miners during the Gold Rush and immigrant Peruvian shepherds in the Western United States today.”

    “We hope that the exhibit makes the linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the Latino community very clear,” Professor Aponte added.

    The exhibit uses primary texts and historical and recent photographs from Washington Heights and other predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods in New York.  In addition, it includes cultural objects from the home countries of the immigrant groups that are highlighted. Among these are beautiful handiwork examples of clothing, culinary items, textiles, dolls, jewelry, instruments and masks.

    For more information on the “Latinos in the U.S.: ¡Presente!” exhibit, please call  (212) 650-7271.  City College is located at 138th Street and Convent Avenue in Manhattan.

    Contact: Jay Mwamba, 212/650-7580, [email protected]

  • Spring Architecture Lectures Explore Green Design, Breaking Boundaries

    The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York (CCNY) will present the Sciame Spring Lecture Series – 2010, titled “Crossing Boundaries: Explorations and Expressions.”  The series, which presents talks by prominent, award-winning architects, runs eight consecutive Thursdays, February 11 through April 8.  Lectures begin at 6 p.m. and are held in the Spitzer School’s Sciame Auditorium.

    “The series focuses on green design and the importance of breaking down artificial boundaries between architecture, landscape architecture and the various engineering disciplines involved in developing projects,” explained George Ranalli, Dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture.Adam YarinskyCatherine Seavitt

    The lecture series is sponsored by F.J. Sciame Construction Co. Inc., a New York construction management firm owned by CCNY alumnus Frank J. Sciame.  Lecture dates, topics and information about the speakers follows:

    February 11, “On the Water: Palisade Bay,” Catherine Seavitt and Adam Yarinsky
    Ms. Seavitt is principal of Catherine Seavitt Studio, teaches architectural design at Princeton University and previously taught at The Spitzer School at CCNY.  Mr. Yarinsky is principal and co-founder of Architecture Research Office.  They co-authored “On the Water: Palisade Bay” with Guy Nordenson.

    February 18, “Energy sub-structure, Supra-structure, Infra-structure,” Michelle Addington
    Ms. Addington is Associate Professor of Architecture at the Yale School of Architecture.  Her teaching and research explore energy systems, advanced materials and new technologies.

    February 25, “The Sustainable Built Environment: Initiating Architectural and Technical Innocation,” Stefan Behnisch
    A native of Stuttgart, Germany, Mr. Behnisch is principal and founder of Behnisch Architekten, which has offices in Stuttgart, Los Angeles, Boston and Munich.  The firm is renowned for its innovative sustainable buildings.

    March 4, “State Change: Mobility, Infrastructure and Design for Decentralized Energy,” Sheila Kennedy
    Ms. Kennedy is Professor of the Practice of Architecture at MIT and a principal of Kennedy & Violich Architecture Ltd., an interdisciplinary design firm that works at the intersection of architecture, clean technology and emerging public needs.

    March 11, “Convergence,” Andrew Whalley
    Mr. Whalley, who trained in the United Kingdom, is Partner in Charge of the New York office of Grimshaw Architects.  The office is one of eight architectural practices selected for major public projects under Mayor Bloomberg’s design excellence program.

    March 18, “The Mannahatta Project: Sustainability and Original Ecology,” Eric Sanderson
    Mr. Sanderson is a Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he founded the Landscape Ecology and Geographic Analysis program.  He recently directed the Mannahatta Project, which was an effort to reconstruction the ecology of Manhattan Island at the time of its European discovery.

    March 25, “Transparent Constructions,” Brian Healy
    Mr. Healy is principal and founder of Brian Healy Architects, a firm he established in 1986 after having worked in the offices of Cesar Pelli and Richard Meier.  For the spring 2010 semester he will be a distinguished Visiting Professor in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture’s graduate program.

    April 8, “It’s Enough: Beyond Autonomy,” Teddy Cruz
    Born in Guatemala City, Mr. Cruz has a research-based practice in San Diego, where he has received international recognition for his work on the Tijuana – San Diego border.  For the spring 2010 semester he will be a distinguished Visiting Professor in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture’s Master of Urban Design graduate program.

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • CCNY Biologists Identify New Spiny Pocket Mouse Species

    — Heteromys catopterius Discovered in Venezuela’s Coastal Range —

    Dr. Robert P. Anderson, Associate Professor of Biology at The City College of New York, and Ph.D. student Eliécer E. Gutiérrez have reported the existence of a new species of spiny pocket mouse, from Venezuela, Heteromys catopterius.  

    The name derives from the Greek katoptêrios, which means a “height that commands a view.”  It was chosen for the new species in reference to its presence on four wet, mountainous forest regions of the rugged and steep-sided Cordillera de la Costa along the country’s northern coast.

    “Most people are surprised to learn that new species of mammals are still being discovered,” Professor Anderson said.  “Sometimes they are discovered based on genetic work, but this is a case where anatomical studies made it clear a species existed that had never been recognized by biologists before.”    

    Several features differentiate the Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse from the more common Heteromys anomalus, known as the Caribbean Spiny Pocket Mouse.  H. catopterius has darker fur and lacks the distinctly rounded ears of H. anomalus.  In addition, its skull is wider and less elongated.  The Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse is found in elevations ranging from 350 to 2,450 meters above sea level, although mostly above 700 meters.  In contrast, H. anomalus resides mostly in lowlands and lower elevations of the mountains of the region.

    The findings were published in the “Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History,” in a Festschrift, a special volume in honor of Dr. Guy G. Musser, a curator at the museum who retired recently.  The research was funded through a National Science Foundation grant.  

    In identifying a distinct species, researchers must look for data that indicate discrete morphologies, Professor Anderson explained.  Further, they assess whether there is evidence for integration among the species.

    “When you see gradual changes between locations, that is a sign that you do not have a distinct species,” he continued.  “In this case, the species show very distinct morphology, even in the places where the vegetation types they inhabit come into contact.”

    Professor Anderson, a leader in using GIS (geographic information systems) analysis to model species distributions (ranges), says his goal is to use the genus Heteromys as an example of how to integrate GIS, evolutionary biology and climate studies.  With an aim toward conservation, he hopes to compare areas with suitable habitat for the species with the location of protected areas.  

    He and his collaborators at Brigham Young University and the Universidad Simón Bolívar are also currently performing genetic research to study evolutionary relationships in the genus.  To complement this, Professor Anderson and his students are building GIS models of the species’ climatic requirements and applying them to reconstructions of past climates.

    During the peak of the last Ice Age, when glaciers were extensive and temperatures were generally colder even in the tropics, distributions of this montane species were probably more contiguous, he explained.  “We can take the same model of the species’ requirements and apply it to projections of future climate to predict what habitat will remain for the species as the climate gets warmer.”  

    He says it is likely that suitable habitats for this species will be reduced as a consequence of climate change.  A GIS exercise studying the distribution of H. catopterius has been integrated into the laboratory of CCNY’s undergraduate biology course, “Ecology and Evolution.”

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • CCNY’s Center For Worker Education Hosts Two-Day Conference On Hip-Hop

    “Is Hip-Hop History?,” a two-day conference to examine the current state of the music genre and subculture and its future outlook, will be held February 19 – 20 at The City College of New York (CCNY) Center for Worker Education (CWE). Approximately 200 persons, including hip-hop scholars, performers, entrepreneurs, journalists and activists, are expected to participate in the event, which will address such issues as the over-commercialization of hip-hop, hip-hop media going digital and hip-hop activism.

    The conference, part of the CWE’s celebration of Black History Month, is being held in conjunction with a course being offered at the center for students in CCNY’s Division of Interdisciplinary Studies.  Titled, “History, Culture and Politics of Hip-Hop,” the class, which has approximately 20 enrolled students, is spending the spring 2010 semester studying the impact of hip-hop on popular culture in the United States.Ralph McDaniels  

    “For over 25 years, the Center for Worker Education has provided a dignified environment and a high-quality education for working adults seeking bachelor’s degrees,” said Warren Orange, who teaches the course and is co-organizer of the conference.  “CWE students are predominantly Black and Hispanic, female, 25-54 years of age, and hail from the communities that not only gave birth to hip-hop but, continue to be its most consistent muse.”

    “The conference will be the initiation of an ambitious project to create a platform for the ongoing research and study of hip-hop and popular culture for CWE students,” added Elena Romero, CWE academic advisor, adjunct lecturer and co-organizer of the conference.  “To assist in this endeavor, the conference will help fund a scholarship for outstanding students, doing research on hip-hop and popular culture.”

    Legendary veejay Ralph McDaniels, a hip-hop culture pioneer, entrepreneur and visionary, will serve as keynote speaker for the conference’s opening reception, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Friday, February 19.  Mr. McDaniels, “who created “Video Music Box,” the first music video show focused exclusively to an urban market on public television, is currently president of Uncle Ralph Productions, an on-air personality at New York’s WQHT (Hot 97) and an executive producer and host of “The Bridge” television program. 

    Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University, will deliver the keynote address the second day of the conference at 10 a.m.  Professor Neal has authored Mark Anthony Nealfour books: “What the Music Said: Black Popular Music and Black Public Culture” (Routledge, 1998), “Soul Babies: Black Popular Culture and the Post-Soul Aesthetic” (Routledge, 2002), “Songs in the Keys of Black Life: A Rhythm and Blues Nation” (Routledge, 2003) and “New Black Man: Rethinking Black Masculinity” (Routledge, 2005).

    He is also the co-editor (with Murray Forman) of “That’s the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader” (Routledge, 2004, second ed. August 2010).  A frequent commentator for National Public Radio, Professor Neal also contributes to several on-line media outlets, including SeeingBlack.com, The Root.com and theGrio.com.

    The conference will be held in the CWE auditorium, located at 25 Broadway, 7th floor, in Lower Manhattan.  Admission fees are $5 per day for students with a valid college I.D., $15 for one day or $25 for two days for the general public.  The conference is sponsored in part by Brooklyn College, Pelle Pelle, Belton Tax & Financial Service and the Student Government of CWE (SGCWE).  For additional information about the conference, including biographies of the speakers, visit http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/ishiphophistory or http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/cwe. 

    Conference Schedule
    Friday, February 19
    Conference Registration 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
    Opening Reception 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
    Music by Luis “DJ Disco Wiz” Cedeno, special performance by Lifted and keynote address by legendary veejay Ralph McDaniels (Hot 97)

    Saturday, February 20
    Conference Registration 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
    Keynote Address 10 a.m. – 12 noon
    Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University

    Panels: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
    Hip-Hop Media: From Paper to Blogs (1:00 – 3:00 pm)
    Michaela Angela Davis, creative consultant, speaker, writer (moderator); Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AllHipHop.com; Datwon Thomas, COO/EIC, GlobalGrind.com, and Sonya Magett, blogger, tyra.com.

    Is Hip-Hop History? (1:00 – 3:00 pm)
    Carlito Rodriguez, writer and TV producer (moderator); DJ Red Alert “Bio” Feliciano, co-founder, Tats cru; Rokafella, co-founder, Full Circle Productions, and Lando Felix, founder of The Blind Spot and co-founder/former vice president, production and design, for Enyce and Mecca USA.

    From My Life to the Paper: Writing the Hip-Hop Experience (3:00 – 5:00 p.m.)
    Jay Smooth, host of WBAI’s “The Underground Railroad,” New York City’s longest-running hip-hop radio show, and proprietor of hiphopmusic.com and illdoctrine.com (moderator); Adam Mansbach, author and 2009-2010 New Voices Professor of Fiction at Rutgers University; Raquel Cepeda, award-winning editor, multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker; Dr. James Braxton Peterson, Assistant Professor of English at Bucknell University, and Dr. Joseph G. Schloss, author and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Black and Latino Studies at Baruch College.

    United We Stand (3:00 – 5:00 p.m.)
    Hon. George Martinez, founder/chairman of the Global Block Association, board member emeritus, Hip-Hop Association and political science adjunct at Pace University (moderator); Jeffrey Kazembe-Batts and Luis “Plot” Sosa, co-chairpersons in the Universal Hip-Hop Parade for Social Justice Organization; Rosa Clemente, community organizer, activist, radio journalist (WBAI) and 2008 Green Party candidate for Vice President; Mariaelena Jorge, CCNY alumna and entrepreneur; Andre T. Mitchell, founder and chief executive officer of several organizations and initiatives including Man Up! Inc, Hip-Hop SUV (Stand Up & Vote) and F.I.P.A. (Formerly Incarcerated People Association), and Mike “Hollywood” Christie, founder and president of Talent Driven Network

    CWE Contact:
    Elena Romero, 212-925-6625, ext. 258, [email protected]

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • Powell Center Conference Examines Issues Of Inclusion In The Green Economy

    — Green-Jobs Advocate Jerome Ringo to Outline Roadmap to a Sustainable Future and Economic Well-Being for Every Community —

    While real job openings in the United States have plummeted 50 percent in two years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the sustainability sector offers one of the few bright spots in the job market.  Nationally, employment in the sector grew by 9.1 percent in the decade ending in 2007, compared with 3.7 percent overall, according to The Pew Charitable Trust.  

    A report from the Conference of Mayors projects 3.5 million new green jobs by 2030.  Yet under-represented populations and communities risk being shut out of these gains.

    A February 10 conference at The City College of New York (CCNY) will examine the critical issues of education and workforce training needed to leverage the green economy.  The event, presented by the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies and sponsored by the New York Life Endowment for Emerging African-American Issues, will highlight issues of inclusion that minority populations and communities face in tapping the potential of a sustainable future.  

    Titled “Our World 2030: Preparing a New Generation for a Sustainable Future,” the conference runs from 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in CCNY’s Great Hall.  It is free and open to the public; however, pre-registration is required.  

    The conference will emphasize New York City’s particular challenges and opportunities in transforming the economic and educational outlook through 2030.  That is the year when today’s youngest generation will begin to enter the workforce.

    “New York City is ideally poised to take advantage of the forecast employment growth in the sustainability sector,” said Walter Houston, 2009-2010 New York Life Leader-in-Residence at the Colin Powell Center. “However, hurdles stand in the way of full minority participation.”

    Mr. Houston noted that New York ranks first among U.S. metro areas in green jobs potential, according to the Conference of Mayors’ report.  In addition, Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC includes 127 initiatives for greening the Big Apple, and venture capitalists have pumped some $200 million into the state’s clean-energy economy over the past two years.

    The “green-collar ceiling” appears to be among the biggest challenges to greater minority participation in the green job market, Mr. Houston added.  Minority workers often languish in low-skill, low-wage positions, while the green jobs that are forecast to provide much of the new employment require advanced degrees and complex skill sets, according to the New York City Labor Market Information Service.

    The conference’s keynote speaker, Jerome Ringo, is one of the nation’s leading advocates for green jobs.  Mr. Ringo is the immediate past president of the Apollo Alliance and a former chairman of the board of the National Wildlife Federation.  In addition, he served as the nation’s only African-American representative to the Kyoto Treaty talks and is a member of Al Gore’s Climate Advisory Panel.  

    “Our World 2030” will explore pathways out of poverty through green career opportunities. Rob Carmona, president of STRIVE, the workforce development organization, noted in Huffington Post recently that the time to prepare folks from all backgrounds for emerging industries is now.  

    “As the ‘green jobs’ revolution takes hold, we at STRIVE see it as a replacement skill set for the union jobs that were essential in the development of the American middle class,” added Carmona, who will participate in a panel discussion at the “Our World 2030” conference. He will be joined by:

    • Tria Case, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Energy, Bronx Community College, CUNY;
    • Levon Chambers, Laborers’ Local 10;
    • Jaimie Cloud, founder and president, the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education;
    • Dr. Latif M. Jiji, Director, CCNY Graduate Program, Sustainability in the Urban Environment, and
    • Janna Olson, founder, The Sustainer Project.

    Additional conference information, registration, and biographies of the featured speakers can be found at http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/powell.

    About the New York Life Foundation
    Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided more than $120 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. Through its focus on “Nurturing the Children,” the Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of mentoring, the establishment of safe places to learn and grow, educational enhancement opportunities, and childhood bereavement.

    About the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies
    The Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies is a nonpartisan educational, training, and research center named for one of City College’s most distinguished graduates, General Colin L. Powell (USA, ret.), the Center’s founder and chair. Established in 1997, the Center’s mission is to prepare new generations of publicly engaged leaders from populations previously underrepresented in public service and policy circles.  The Center also seeks to build a strong culture of civic engagement at City College and to mobilize campus resources to meet pressing community needs and serve the public good.

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • Book Talk Lecture Series Returns To CCNY Center For Worker Education

    — Notable W.W. Norton Authors among Lecturers —

    The City College of New York (CCNY) Division of Interdisciplinary Studies, in collaboration with W.W. Norton & Company, will present the second installment of its successful “Book Talk” Lecture Series, February  1 through May 10.  The lectures, which present prestigious CUNY and Norton authors, and cover such vital topics as health, American law, transportation, globalization and nature, take place at CCNY’s Center for Worker Education, seventh floor, 25 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

    “Book Talk continues to bring some of the best and most recognized authors in the country to the Center,” said Dr. Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies. “We are delighted to have W.W. Norton & Company collaborate with us on such an important lecture series.”David Biro

    CCNY Interim President Dr. Robert E. Paaswell will inaugurate the series with a lecture on “Current Issues in Transportation Planning.” Other notable speakers include Norton authors:

  • David Biro, M.D., named one of New York magazine’s top doctors and author of “The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion,” and “Relief;”
  • Richard Conniff, a Guggenheim Fellow, frequent commentator on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and author of “Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals;”
  • Jon Jeter, former Washington Post bureau chief for southern Africa and South America and author of “Flat Broke in the Free Market: How Globalization Fleeced Working People;”
  • Fred Strebeigh, recipient of the 2009 Brodhead Teaching Prize from Yale University and author of “Equal: Women Reshape American Law;” and
  • Jennifer Cody Epstein, adjunct professor in the School of the Arts, Columbia University, and author of “Painter from Shanghai.”

    •  The other speakers are Dr. Lou Marinoff and Frederick Kaufman.  Dr. Marinoff is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at CCNY, founding President of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA), on the faculty of the World Economic Forum and author of “The Middle Way.”  Mr. Kaufman is a contributing editor at Harper’s magazine who teaches at the City University of New York and CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.  He is author of “A Short History of the American Stomach.”

    All lectures are free and open to the public.  They are held in the Center for Worker Education auditorium, located on the seventh floor at 25 Broadway, and begin at 6:00 p.m.  The series is sponsored by CCNY Provost Zeev Dagan and the CCNY Office of Academic Affairs. For additional information, visit http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/CWE.

    Book Talk Lectures Schedule

    Monday, February 1 – Dr. Robert E. Paaswell
    Current Issues in Transportation Planning

    Monday, February 8 – David Biro, M.D.
    The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief

    Monday, February 22 – Richard Conniff
    Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals

    Monday, March 8 – Jon Jeter
    Flat Broke in the Free Market: How Globalization Fleeced Working People

    Monday, March 22 – Lou Marinoff
    The Middle Way: Finding Happiness in a World of Extremes

    Monday, April 12 – Fred Strebeigh
    Equal: Women Reshape American Law

    Monday, April 26 – Frederick Kaufman
    A Short History of the American Stomach

    Monday, May 10 – Jennifer Cody Epstein
    The Painter from Shanghai

    CWE Contact:
    Elena Romero, 212-925-6625, ext. 258, [email protected]

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]

  • CCNY Students Host ‘FIRST’ Lego League Qualifier January 24

    — Challenge Seeks Robotics Solutions to Transportation Issues —

    The Latin American Engineering Student Association Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (LAESA-SHPE) at the City College of New York (CCNY) will host the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Manhattan Qualifier, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 24, in The Great Hall of Shepard Hall on the CCNY campus in Harlem.

    FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), is an organization founded to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.  Over 146,000 children, ages 9 to 14 and in more than 50 countries participate in FIRST’s annual challenge.  This year FIRST is asking students to explore robotic solutions to issues in modern transportation through hands-on, minds-on teamwork revolving around the 2009 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge: “Smart Move.”
    “Smart Move” is a two-part challenge.  In the Project phase of the challenge, teams identify a problem involving the way people, animals, information, or things travel in their community.  Then they create an innovative solution and share it outside the team.

    In the robotics part of the challenge, teams confront today’s transportation safety and efficiency problems and apply robotics, sensor technology and fresh thinking to solve them.  Missions in the challenge include efficiency planning, object avoidance, climbing steep bridges with no guardrails, passenger transport and crash tests.

    “’Smart Move’ gives kids a hands-on, real-world experience allowing them to use their imaginations and creativity in combination with science and technology, and lets them experience first-hand the very real and exhilarating struggle that world leaders and inventors face,” says Dean Kamen, FIRST founder.

    For the second consecutive year, FIRST has teamed up with engineering students from LAESA-SHPE to bring the FLL Challenge to Manhattan.  Middle schools students participating in the qualifier will come to The City College campus to showcase their research and innovative ideas to help transform transportation.
    This FLL Manhattan Qualifier is made possible with support from the University Transportation Research Center, The Grove School of Engineering civil engineering department and The City College of New York School of Education.

    About LAESA-SHPE
    LAESA–SHPE is the largest and most recognized undergraduate student organization at The City College of New York.  Its founders were a dedicated group of students whose goals were to unite all Latino and minority students in engineering, share cultural ideas and promote leadership.  In 1985, they founded LAESA as a medium to achieve their goals.  Shortly after in 1991, LAESA joined forces with SHPE to better achieve these goals.  This partnership has continued to flourish over the years, and today LAESA is a firm supporter of the SHPE core values – education, professionalism and leadership – while still remaining true to its original mission.  With more than 100 members, LAESA-SHPE has been able to gather motivated students from all engineering disciplines and cultural backgrounds.

    LAESA-SHPE Contact:
    Elizabeth Vilchis, (914) 803-5342, [email protected]

    Contact: Ellis Simon, 212/650-6460, [email protected]