FACULTY & STAFF
 

   Gary S. Kleppel had a good feeling about accepting the University’s offer as associate professor of biology and director of the master’s degree program in Biodiversity, Conservation and Policy when a visit allowed him to view the Hudson River from a hilltop.
    “I actually grew up along the Hudson [in Rockland County], and I did my Ph.D. on the Hudson River and the lower Hudson River estuaries — the river has meant a lot to me,” said Kleppel. He assumed the directorship this semester of the three and one-half year-old biodiversity program, whose co-directors since inception have been biology professors Margaret Stewart and George Robinson.
    Kleppel came to Albany from the University of South Carolina, where he was an associate professor in its Department of Environmental Health Sciences and project director of a $4.5 million “Land Use - Coastal Ecosystems Study” funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    He is also principal investigator on several other studies that involve his chief research interests: effects of human demographic and land-use patterns on ecosystem integrity, nutritional ecology, and environmental regulation of biological production in coastal ecosystems.
    “Dr. Kleppel is an excellent choice because his background spans both the scientific and public policy aspects of the program,” said Joseph Mascarenhas, faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences, and chair of the search committee that selected Kleppel. “He will be an integral contributor to the University’s new interdisciplinary study into Hudson River Riparian Buffer Zones.”
    That project, headed by Kleppel, Robinson, Thomas Birkland of the Department of Public Policy and Administration, and research associate Kirt Moody, is charged with depicting political-jurisdictional complexities that exist along the Hudson, and then developing strategies to promote shoreline restoration that will in turn restore the river’s natural ecological functions.
    “Gary is an important addition to the department and the program,” said Robinson. “For one thing, he’s an aquatic ecologist, and aquatic ecologists are so important to New York State, where our natural environs are so tied to water - the Hudson River being a prime example. In terms of applied science, the future of conservation is integrally tied to water. Gary’s strong research in land-use planning is also enormously important to a University so involved now in both public policy and environmental policy.”
    Kleppel received his B.A. degree in biology from SUNY College at Cortland in 1973 and his Ph.D. in 1979 from Fordham University. He was a director of biology programs at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, a research fellow for five years at UCLA’s Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, and an assistant professor and then associate professor at Nova University Oceanic Center before going to South Carolina in 1995.
    He has taught numerous courses in marine biology, aquatic ecology and environmental resource management, and been the major adviser on three undergraduate theses, seven completed master’s theses and two Ph.D. dissertations. He has also been a scientific reviewer on numerous journals, and on programs of the National Science Foundation and NOAA.
    His involvement in regional environmental efforts has included membership on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Water Quality in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (1996), his chairmanship of the Richland County Conservation Commission (1999-2000), and participation in the Richland County land use plan in 1998-’99. His research promoting ecological development has taken him to visiting scholar positions in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. He has written or co-authored more than 40 journal articles, edited two books and is working on two others.
    The goal of creating ecological “buffer zones” on the Hudson presents “a different set of dynamics” from his work with coastal ocean boundaries, said Kleppel. “One of the things about the study that interests me is the challenge of contributing to the restoration of the natural characteristics of the Hudson River to the greatest degree possible.
    “Among the varied aspects of this work,” he continued, “are the establishing of riparian buffer zones that prevent contaminants from getting into the river, that provide a habitat for wild life, and, most importantly, that prevent floods. For instance, most people don’t realize that one mature tree can soak up 40 gallons of water per day. 
    “Another aspect is to discern where these buffer zones remain, how much of them are left, how much are wasted - and then see what jurisdictions control these areas and what regulations exist for dealing with them. We can then help communities realize the value of these buffer systems and what strategies we need to employ to preserve and enhance them.
    “This is a natural investigation and study for us at the University because of our strengths in biodiversity and ecology - but also because, of those academic institutions engaged in these kinds of research, we are no doubt the most proximate to the Hudson River of any in the state.”

    The three newest members of the University Police Department (UPD) are Officers Jose Calderon, Virgilio Ravelo, and Wilson Cabrera. They are also the first Latino officers ever hired by the department. Both Calderon and Ravelo now also serve as liaisons to the Latino community on campus. “These new hires are the result of our continuing focus on diversity in UPD and they have already made significant contributions to the campus,” said J. Frank Wiley, UPD chief of police. Calderon and Ravelo began their duties on the Albany campus last semester. Cabrera was hired several weeks ago.
    Calderon, originally from New York City, received his B.A. in history and B.A. in Spanish from SUNY Oswego. He previously worked as an auxiliary police officer for the NYPD. Calderone said he has found it easy to relate to students and enjoys the fact that being a UPD officer allows him to wear many different hats, from investigator to counselor. He and his wife live in Albany and have one son.
    Ravelo, originally from the Dominican Republic, received a degree in criminal justice from The Sage Colleges. He is also a track and field coach at a high school in Voorheesville. Ravelo said communicating with students is the best part of the job and feels it is a plus to have officers who can speak to students in Spanish. He and his wife recently had their first child.
    Cabrera, who was born in Ecuador, earned his bachelor’ degree in accounting from Queens College. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration from John Jay College. Prior to joining the UPD, he served as a police officer for the SUNY Health Sciences Center in Brooklyn. Cabrera said he enjoys police work because it provides him with a sense of giving back to the community. He and his wife have one son.

Collins Fellow Nominations
    Nominations are being accepted through March 31 for Collins Fellows. The award recognizes members of the teaching faculty, who, over a sustained period of time, have exhibited extraordinary devotion to the University at Albany and the people in it. The award bears the name of Evan R. Collins, president from 1949 to 1969, who provided outstanding leadership in Albany’s transition from a college to a university.
    Each fellow will receive an advancement in salary and a distinctive medal, which will be presented at Commence-ment. Any member of the University community may nominate a faculty member by forwarding a letter to President Karen R. Hitchcock before the March 31 deadline. Supporting commentary should be included. Nominations are to be kept confidential.