Explore UAlbany

August 24, 2012

Explore UAlbany is your opportunity to investigate a topic of interest while connecting with some of UAlbany's most outstanding faculty! The topic you choose does not have to be related to your intended major. To prepare for your journey on August 24 review the sessions listed below and choose the TOP 3 sessions that interest you the most. You will only attend one session but if your first choice gets closed out it is important to have a backup chosen.

Explore UAlbany Faculty Sessions to choose from:

 

Anthropology

Klingon101: Insights in the Structure of Language
Lee Bickmore, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 21
Klingon, a language constructed for the Star Trek series, raises a number of fascinating questions about the structure of language itself. How unusual could a sound system or syntax be and still be communicative? Could humans acquire it?

Art

Keeping it Real: Photographic Veracity in the Age of the Post-Photographic
Danny Goodwin, M.F.A.
Lecture Center 20
Since its invention in 1839, the term "photography" has been expanded to encompass a staggering array of technologies, techniques and media. The digital (especially cell-phone) camera/Photoshop/YouTube/Facebook/Twitter/Flickr/ Tumblr, et al. era has been described by many critics and theorists as "post-photographic". But what does that mean? And beyond the technical and technological shifts in the ways we capture, curate, distribute and consume post-photographic images, what is really at stake for practitioners in the coming years? How have those artists who are working at the "bleeding edge" of photographic theory and technique informed and been informed by the digital (r)evolution?

Atmospheric Science

NASA's search for life beyond the Earth
John Delano, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 18
With the discovery of nearly 1600 planets orbiting nearby stars, and the likelihood of additional Earth-like planets being found within the next few months, the stage is being set for learning about Humanity's context in the galaxy. Will complex life on other planets be common? Or, will it be rare? Is complex life elsewhere in the galaxy likely to have a humanoid appearance? Could the abundance of intelligent, humanoid-like beings on 'Star Trek' be exaggerated?

Biology

Think Globally, Eat Locally: The impact of the decisions you make about your food
Gary Kleppel, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 24
Students, faculty and administrators have made UAlbany a national leader in sustainable practices. We have been especially effective in supporting New York's family farms by purchasing much of our food from local sources. In 2008, barely 8% of UAlbany's food came from local sources. Today, nearly 30% of our food is purchased locally. Local food tends to be nutritious and safe (much of America's food supply is not safe). It also helps keep our state's farms profitable and our beautiful agricultural landscapes productive. Finally, local sourcing of food supports our local and regional economies. At our current level of local sourcing, UAlbany helps create nearly $9 million of economic development in our state annually. Most important, the movement ("50 by '15", meaning that our goal is 50% local food by 2015) is driven by UAlbany students! Come learn how you and UAlbany are making a difference! 

Business/Law

Double-Tap for Future
Suraj Commuri, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 7
As the next generation of consumers is growing up relying on smartphones and social networks, marketing has rapidly evolved to make room. Today's marketing-on-demand bears little resemblance to anything we have seen before. Learn in this lecture what marketing is in the age of social media and smartphones and why the recipe for success is not a lot of money, but a simple idea.

You couldn't Make This Stuff Up! Life Lessons Learned from the Bench.
Hon. Joseph W. Sheehan, J.D.
Lecture Center 1
Law Professor and City Court Judge JosephSheehan brings his court room experiences to life in business law discussions. Learn how to make good everyday life decisions by learning from other people's mistakes rather than making them yourself! 

Computer Science

Digital Image Forensics: I know what you did last photoshop session
Siwei Lyu, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 4 
The past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in digital image processing and computational photography, resulting in sophisticated image-editing software systems. The ease of digital image manipulation has also posed many new challenges. In particular, digital images have become more vulnerable to malicious tampering compared to their non-digital counterparts, resulting in rapid developments in digital image forensics. Come learn how we can detect several types of digital image tampering operations, including image splicing, differentiating real photographic images from computer graphics software and other ways to show abnormalities in tampered images and detect image forgeries.

What's so social about a Lego robot?
Jennifer Goodall, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 3A
Engineers might build a robot, but computer and information scientists program them to do things. We've come a long way from the version of a robot put forth in the sci-fi movies of the 70's; what can robots really do and how do we get them to do it? This hands-on lecture/workshop will introduce an outreach workshop from the College of Computing and Information used to engage students in introductory programming. Come find out how and why we would give a robot a personality and try it yourself!

East Asian Studies

What's in Those Manga Speech Bubbles,Anyway?
Susanna Fessler, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 3C
Have you been looking at manga for years, even though you don't read Japanese? How come some of the squiggles in the speech bubbles look simple, and some look complex, and some just look like someone took a knife and slashed the page? What's up with the written Japanese language? Come find out about the origins of written Japanese, how the language has evolved, and why it is written the way it is today.

Education

College:  What am I doing here?
Jason Lane, Ph.D
Lecture Center 22
You have chosen to go to college and picked the University at Albany.  Congratulations!  What makes the college experience in the United States unique?  What can I expect now that I am at a research university?  What factors contribute to one student’s success at college while another student might drop out?  And what shouldYOUbe doing to ensure you both enjoy your UAlbany experience and succeed as a college student?  Come learn about what really matters in college!

History

Is Race Real?
Rick Fogarty, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 25
Of course it is! What a silly question. It's as simple as black and white. Or is it? Like many subjects we think we know a lot about, we'll find that the reality is far more complex and interesting than we often assume. Using examples and research from a wide variety of fields of study, we'll see that the "reality" of race—what it means in different times, places, and contexts—is far more subject to change, variety, and debate than many people think. Examining diverse ideas about race and the different forms racism has taken in different cultures, both in the past and today, we'll see that "black and white" is only part of the story. This lecture is just one example of how your college education will take you deeper into everyday problems, broadening your horizons and challenging you to think in new ways.

Political Science

November 2012 – why this year’s election matters to YOU!
Anne Hildreth, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 3B
What do the Wisconsin Recall election, the North Carolina Marriage initiative, and the New York Republican presidential primary have in common?  How are they different?  Who participates in our elections and why is a compelling puzzle; it has effects that are both immediately apparent and downright invisible.  And while there's no scarcity of media commentators and late night comedians who will tell you which groups from where matter and why, other interested parties--like students, citizens, and academics -- might reach very different conclusions when examining some of the data.  In this session we will do just that: we will evaluate pieces of the data puzzle and discuss the impact of participation rules on election outcomes and representation, giving special attention to what's ahead in 2012, the most important election EVER. So far.

From Cancun Cantina to Backyard Barbecue: How Mexican Beer Took Over the WorldS
Susan Gauss, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 2
We see it all around us: billboards over 1-90 promising sun and sand and palm trees with a wedge of lime, or Corona-fueled Cinco de Mayo parties that celebrate…exactly what? Come follow a historical path that begins about 100 years ago, when Mexico produced almost no beer, and it concludes in 2012, when Mexico surged to become the world's largest exporter of it. How did Mexico become a global superpower of suds? And what exactly are American's drinking when they consume a Corona? Explore what Mexican beer can tell us about global consumption, big business, and the United States' special relationship with its neighbor to the south.

Nanoscale Science & Engineering

A new frontier of medical research: Nanobiology
Scott Tenenbaum, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 19
Nanobioscience represents the new frontier that will shape life-science and human health. It is being used to study, diagnose and cure cancer, study the human genome, develop better drug delivery systems and understand how the brain works! Come learn about this new and exciting frontier.

Psychology

Dude, Where's my cell phone? Memories from the Ordinary to the Extra-Ordinary
Jeanette Altarriba, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 5
Have you ever misplaced your keys, forgotten someone's name, or struggled to recall what you did last night? The phenomenon of memory reconstruction and the development of false memories and beliefs is a "hot topic" in cognitive and memory research. But just how can we demonstrate the existence of such memories? And, when we do forget, what are some techniques to try to remember? Learn about what the research tells us regarding false memories, their impact in your decision making, and what to do to decrease their prevalence.

Changing Habits, Changing Behaviors
Drew Anderson, Ph.D.
Lecture Center 23
Success in life is largely about doing the right things- that is, it's about your behavior. But as you probably know, doing the right thing can be difficult. Throughout history, humans have struggled to change their habits and behavior, but modern research has given us clues about what strategies work best. Learn some of these strategies and discuss ways to use them in your own life. 

Social Welfare

What do social work, health disparities and Ethiopia have to do with being a UAlbany freshman?
Robert Miller Jr., Ph.D. 
Lecture Center 14
Congratulations! You've chosen to come to UAlbany- a University whose brand includes: "A World Within Reach." International education within a social work context has core elements of self-determination, advocacy, social justice and a real sense of loving great food that has a spicy kick. What are your core identities? What are your experiences with health outcomes of your family and your community? How do you juxtapose those ideas with a plan to make a difference in "the world within reach?" This interactive lecture will invite you to think about how you got here and what you will do with the opportunity you've been afforded.