Faculty &
Staff
Durand
Speaks on Autism at National Conference
Psychology professor V. Mark Durand gave a presentation September
5 at a National Institutes of Health Conference on “Research on Psychosocial
and Behavioral Interven-tions in Autism: Confronting the Methodological
Challenges,” at the Neurosciences Center in Rockville, Md. Durand was
among three presenters to discuss the methodological challenges that
are unique to psychosocial interventions in autism.
Rose-Marie Weber Elected to
Reading Hall of Fame
Professor Rose-Marie Weber of the Department of Reading has been
elected to the Reading Hall of Fame. The Reading Hall of Fame recognizes
life-time contributions to the field of reading. The induction took
place at the annual conference of the International Reading Association
in April in San Francisco.
Book Award Given to Mary Valentis
Mary Valentis’s book Brave New You was awarded the Silver Medal
for Best Title of the Year 2001 in the self-help category by ForeWord
Magazine. Valentis, a lecturer in the Department of English, wrote
the book with her husband, John Valentis.
Demerjian Appointed
Kenneth Demerjian, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research
Center (ASRC), has been appointed to the Health Effects Institute (HEI)
Health Research Committee. He will fill a committee opening in the area
of atmospheric chemistry and exposure.
HEI is an independent, non-profit corporation that provides high-quality, impartial, and relevant science on the health effects of pollutants from motor vehicles and from other sources in the environment.
Perez Wins Award
Significant contributions to the solar energy field have earned Richard
Perez, a research professor with the ASRC, honors from the American
Solar Energy Society (ASES). He received the society’s Charles Greeley
Abbot Award at the National Solar Energy Conference in June in Reno,
Nev.
10th Edition of Book Published
The 10th edition of the book Social Psychology, by Robert
A. Baron of Rensselaer and UAlbany Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Donn Byrne, has just been published by Allyn and Bacon. Byrne’s
former students organized a conference in his honor on “Affect, Attraction,
and Their Conceptual Children” at the University of Connecticut in April.
Byrne has made distinguished contributions to the fields of personality and social psychology, including work in the areas of authoritarianism, self-destructiveness, and interpersonal attraction.
Zahavi Wins NEH Grant
History professor Gerald Zahavi received $10,000 from the National
Endowment for the Humanities to develop “Capital Voices, Capital Soundscapes:
Aural Histories of the Capital Region of New York,” a radio documentary
series on the history of the Albany, N.Y., region, and to produce a
pilot program on the Cold War era. Zahavi’s award was one of 324 new
NEH grants presented recently to museums, colleges, and other educational
institutions throughout the United States. In all, the NEH distributed
a total of $20.6 million in the latest round of funding for preservation
and access, research, education, and public programs.
School Board Elections
Several University at Albany faculty and staff were elected to their
respective school boards in the spring. They include: Jonathan Bartow,
assistant dean of Graduate Studies, Bethlehem Central School District;
John Dornbush, assistant director for lending services, to a
second term, Guilderland School District; and Distinguished Service
Professor Vincent Aceto, Shenen-dehowa.
Conference for Mathematics
and Computer Science Set for Sept. 28
The departments of Computer Science and Mathematics, the College of
Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the Vice President for Research
will sponsor a conference September 28 on Discrete Mathematics and
Computer Science Day in UAlbany’s Assembly Hall, second floor of
the Campus Center, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Local organizers include
professors Seth Chaiken, Cristian-Paul Lenart, S.S.
Ravi, and Ganesh Ramesh. For more information, contact Seth
Chaiken at sdc@cs.albany.edu, or check the Web page at: http://www.cs.albany.edu/~sdc/DMCSD.
There is no registration fee; preregistration is available until September
14.
Hans Toch Writes New Book
Professor Hans Toch of the School of Criminal Justice has written
a new book with Kenneth Adams, Acting Out: Maladaptive Behavior in
Confinement (American Psychological Association Books).
Acting Out examines the prison careers of the most problematic group of inmates - those who appear to sabotage their own rehabilitation by repeated displays of violence, disruptiveness, or otherwise self-defeating behavior. A particular challenge with these prisoners is determining the extent to which their problem behavior is a result of mental illness, as opposed to purely “characterological” defects. Toch and Adams called this the “bad versus mad” distinction.
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Welcome to Albany
The University welcomed some 2,300 freshmen and 1,200 transfer students, along with 2,600 family members, for Fall 2002 during summer Orientation programs. Students, including Jeff Taylor, Scott Souther, and Steve Tanzosh (above with Orientation assistant Jessica Insel), participated in activities designed to ensure a smooth transition to the campus community. Parents, as well, had opportunities to tour the University, meet faculty and staff, and hear about the many support services available. Orientation programs continued over Labor Day weekend with social and community-building activities. The Freshman Candlelighting Ceremony, a traditional highlight of move-in weekend, was August 31 on University Field./photo by Katelynn Murphy |
New Full-Time
Faculty Announced
College of Arts & Sciences Arts
and Sciences
Joan Wick Pelletier/Dean, SS 369
Anthropology, Sean M. Rafferty/Assistant Prof., BIO 263
Biological Sciences, Wei Hsu/Assistant Prof., BIO 126, Ing-Nang
Wang/Assistant Prof., BIO 126,
Chemistry, Igor K. Lednev/Assistant Prof., CH 122
Communication, Jennifer Stromer-Galley/Assistant Prof., BA 119,
Timothy D. Stephen/Full Prof., BA 119
Computer Science Ian Noel Peter Davidson/Assistant
Prof., LI 67B
East Asian Studies Andrew Sangpil Byon/Assistant Prof., HU 210,
Fan Pen Li Chen/Assistant Prof., HU 210
Economics Nadav Levy/Assistant Prof., BA 110
English Lydia Davis/Writer-in-Residence, HU 333, Edward Schwarzschild/Assistant
Prof., HU 333, Lynne Tillman/Writer-in-Residence, HU 333, Gareth
Griffiths/Prof. and Dept. Chair HU 333 Helene Scheck/Assistant Prof.
HU 333 McKenzie Wark/Assistant Prof. HU 333 Math and Statistics Rongwei
Yang/Assistant Prof., ES 110
Physics Jesse Abram Ernst/Assistant Prof., PH 215
Philosophy Bradley Armour-Garb/Assistant Prof., HU 257
Psychology Jee Won Cheong/Assistant Prof., SS 112, Linda Shanock/Assistant
Prof., SS 112
Sociology Angie Y. Chung/Assistant Prof., SS 339, Zai Liang/Associate
Prof., SS 339
Women’s Studies Janell C. Hobson/Assistant Prof., SS 341
Rockefeller College of Public
Affairs and Policy
Political Science Thomas C. Walker/Assistant Prof., MI 103B
Public Admin. and Policy R. Karl Rethemeyer/Assistant Prof.,
MI 103B
School of Business Accounting Ingrid Fisher/Assistant Prof.,
BA 365
Management Science & Information Systems Anna Sidorova/Assistant
Prof., BA 310A
Management Raymond K. Van Ness/Lecturer, BA 323A
School of Criminal Justice Julie Horney/Dean DR 219A, Dana Peterson/Assistant
Prof., DR 219A , Piyusha Singh/Assistant Prof., DR 219A
School of Education Educational Admin. & Policy Studies Christopher
J. Mazzeo/Assistant Prof., ED 316
Education & Counseling Psychology Heidi G. Andrade/Assistant
Prof., ED 220, Steven G. Little/Associate Prof., ED 220, Matthew
P. Martens/Assistant Prof., ED 220, Amanda B. Nickerson/Assistant
Prof., ED 220, Bruce T. Saddler/Assistant Prof., ED 220
School of Information Science and Policy Joette
Stefl-Mabry/Assistant Prof., DR 113B
School of NanoSciences and
NanoEngineering
Michael. A. Carpenter/Assistant Prof., CESTM B250, Katharine
Dovidenko/Assistant Prof., CESTM B250, Eric T. Eisenbraun/Assistant
Prof. , CESTM B250, Pradeep Haldar/Professor, CESTM B250, Serge
R. Oktyabrsky/Associate Prof., CESTM B250, Fatemeh S. Shahedipour/Assist.
Prof. CESTM B250, Timothy Stoner/Assistant Prof., CESTM B250,
Bai XU/Assistant Prof., CESTM B250
School of Public Health
Nancy Alfred Persily/Asst. Prov., Assoc. Dean 1 Univ. Pl.
Epidemiology Erin M. Bell/Assistant Prof. 1 Univ. Pl., Steven
J. Samuels/Associate Prof. 1 Univ. Pl. Health Policy, Management
& Behavior Benjamin A. Shaw/Assistant Prof. 1 Univ. Pl., Wendy
Elizabeth Weller/Assist. Prof. 1 Univ. Pl.
University Libraries
Amy Schindler/Assistant Librarian, LE 355, Daniel McShane/Sr.
Assistant Librarian, UL B35 1
Jane Kessler/Associate Librarian, UL 119, Elaine Lasda/Associate
Librarian UL 119
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Professor Emeritus of Accounting and Law Enrico Petri, 72, died June 27. A Bronx native, Petri was a graduate of New York University. He was hired as an associate professor of accounting in the University’s School of Business in 1966 and was promoted to full professor eight years later. Petri, whose research interests included financial accounting theory, managerial accounting theory, and corporate taxation, chaired the Department of Accounting and Law from 1987-90. He received the School of Business Award for Teaching Excellence. Although Petri retired in 2000, he returned to UAlbany as a part-time faculty member for the 2001 and 2002 spring semesters to teach such courses as ACC 442 (Income Tax Accounting) and ACC 542 (Income Taxation of Corporations, Partnerships and Estates, and Trusts). During his teaching career, he wrote for a number of publications in the accounting field, including the Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Review, and The CPA Journal. Petri’s survivors include his wife, Marion; three children; and five grandchildren. David O. “Doc” Cooke, known as the “Mayor of the Pentagon,” passed away June 22 as a result of injuries sustained in a June 6 automobile accident. He was 81. Cooke, a graduate of the University at Buffalo, earned a master’s degree from UAlbany in 1942 and a law degree from George Washington University. He began his 60-year career as a naval officer during World War II. Following his retirement from the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s, Cooke remained in government service as a civilian, embarking upon a series of high-level positions in the Washington, D.C., area. At the time of his death, he was director of Washington Headquarters Services, a 1,500-employee support operation. In that capacity, Cooke was responsible for supervising operations, maintenance, and management of the Pentagon Complex, a 280-acre site that houses the Pentagon, the Navy Annex, and various other facilities. The Buffalo native was working in his Pentagon office last September 11 when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the military complex, killing nearly 200 of his colleagues. Cooke himself escaped unharmed, along with thousands of other Pentagon personnel. In November 2001, Cooke returned to the University at Albany for the first time since graduating nearly 60 years previously. At a ceremony during his stay, he served as the keynote speaker for UAlbany’s 2001 Distinguished Alumni Awards program. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award at that observance, which was held at the Governor’s Mansion in Albany. During his stay, Cooke also met with students in several UAlbany classes, encouraging them to seek careers in public service. Cooke is survived by a daughter, two sons, and a grandchild. |
UAlbany
Honors Distinguished Professors and Collins Fellows
Four Distinguished Professors and three Collins Fellows have been named
at the University at Albany. The State University of New York Board
of Trustees has named four University at Albany faculty members to the
rank of Distinguished Professor, a designation for eminent faculty in
the SUNY system. Glenna D. Spitze and Timothy Lance were
named distinguished service professors, a designation honoring extraordinary
service. David P. McCaffrey and Jan L. Hagen were named
distinguished teaching professors, a designation recognizing outstanding
teaching. Both titles are a full rank above that of full professor.
Spitze, who recently served as chair of the Department of Sociology, has been an elected member of several American Sociological Association committees and section councils, as well as a member of a National Institutes of Health review panel, and of Sociologists for Women in Society. Spitze earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and has a joint appointment in women’s studies. Spitze’s major areas of interest are families, gender and aging. Current research projects concern intergenerational relations, household labor, and illness self-management of elderly persons with chronic disease.
Lance,
chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has also been
named distinguished service professor. He has been a teacher, mentor,
researcher, and associate vice president. Since 1998, Lance has functioned
as the chief executive officer of NYSERNet, the company that provides
advanced Internet services to New York State’s research and education
community. He earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University. His research
interests include algebraic and differential topology and group actions
on manifolds.
McCaffrey, chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy, has been the chair or co-chair of 19 Ph.D. dissertations and a member of 40 other doctoral dissertation committees. He earned a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook; his research interests are the design and behavior of regulatory and self-regulatory systems, especially in the financial markets, and processes of cooperation and collaboration.
Hagen, a professor in the School of Social Welfare, has also been named distinguished teaching professor. Hagen, who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, has been an exemplary teacher, mentor, and scholar. Hagen’s research interests include welfare, welfare employment programs, and battered women. She has a joint appointment in women’s studies. Hagen serves as a consulting editor for several social work journals and is president of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
Martha Rozett, Peter Bloniarz, and Lynn Videka-Sherman have been named Collins Fellows by the University for 2002. The annual award is given to faculty members who have shown extraordinary commitment to the University over a sustained period.
Rozett has been a member of the UAlbany faculty since 1973. A well-known Shakes-pearean scholar, she has taught 27 different undergraduate and graduate courses. Outside the University, she serves as a consultant on teaching Shakespeare for a number of arts-in-education programs in New York City. She has an exemplary record of service across campus, especially to undergraduates.
Bloniarz has been recognized by both the President’s and Chancellor’s awards for Excellence in Teaching. While his academic appointment is in the Department of Computer Science, he is also the director and a long-time faculty member of the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in information science.
Videka-Sherman, former dean of the School of Social Welfare, joined UAlbany in 1981 and was named dean in 1989. Her research findings and consultative work have made a major impact on how social workers across the nation are trained, and how services are delivered to their clients.
Videka-Sherman is co-principal investigator of the Center for the Study of Issues in Public Mental Health, funded by the National Institute for Mental Health.
UAlbany Volunteers Made It
Happen
The story behind UAlbany’s smooth-running Commencement Weekend May 18
and 19 began May 7 at Spring Cleanup Day, when an army of University
volunteers swarmed its campuses, gathering garbage, planting pachysandra
and painting parking lines.
When it was all over, a record number of more than 500 faculty, staff and students had planted 500 pachysandra, installed 3,800 square feet of sod, and spread 120 yards of mulch around trees and shrubs.
“We don’t often stop and think about what a tremendous effort is needed to clean up the grounds of a University our size,” said Interim Vice President for Finance and Business Kathryn Lowery, whose office was in charge of the cleanup. “We greatly appreciate the ‘elbow grease’ provided by the hundreds of our UAlbany community who care so much about our University that they worked outside for a day to prepare our grounds for the biggest event of the academic year.”
Dialing and
Driving
By Carol Olechowski
Ring ring, cell phone users. UAlbany’s Institute
for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) has your number.
Nearly a year ago, as New York legislators finalized a law that would make the Empire State the first in the nation to ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones, ITSMR conducted a telephone survey to determine the impact of phone use on driving. The September 2001 random survey queried 805 motorists around New York about their attitudes, behaviors, and experiences regarding cell phone use behind the wheel. The study, developed by ITSMR in consultation with Gov. George Pataki’s Traffic Safety Committee, was administered by Fact Finders, Inc.
ITSMR deputy director Anne Dowling noted that the purpose of the study was threefold: “to collect information on the use of cell phones while driving; to assess drivers’ perceptions of safety problems associated with using cell phones while driving; and to determine the extent to which drivers were familiar with the cell phone law prior to its implementation.”
Nearly half of the respondents (46 percent) said they carried cell phones with them always or most of the time while driving. Of those, 12 percent reported using the phone very often; 20 percent, sometimes; and 34 percent, once in a while. Twenty-eight percent said they always or most of the time pull over to the side of the road to use their phones. The most commonly cited reasons given for using a cell phone were family matters (34 percent), business (25 percent), and the reporting of emergencies (23 percent). Drivers in the 16-to-34 age group were much more likely than older drivers to have cell phones in their vehicles, use them frequently while driving, and own hands-free equipment, Dowling observed.
While cell phone use is often condemned as a driving hazard, the ITSMR survey revealed that other driver distractions may be just as dangerous. Twenty-five percent of the respondents noted that they very often change radio stations, CDs, or tapes, Dowling said, while 18 percent reported that they often adjust the heat or air conditioning controls, and 12 percent often eat or drink while driving. Nine percent reported daydreaming behind the wheel; another 5 percent told the survey team that they deal with young passengers’ needs or problems while driving.
Fifty-five percent of the respondents believe that cell phone use is the most hazardous distracting behavior for drivers, and an additional 15 percent identified it as the second most distracting behavior. Twelve percent of the respondents reported having had accidents as a result of distracted driving. Of those, 49 percent admitted they had been daydreaming or not paying attention, while 13 percent cited other passengers’ arguments or talking as the cause of the distraction. Another 9 percent blamed the accidents on other drivers’ unsafe driving.
In terms of familiarity with the new law, nine out of ten respondents said they had seen, read, or heard about New York’s new law. Drivers younger than 35, however, were somewhat less likely than older motorists to be cognizant of the legislation.
To complement the telephone survey, ITSMR conducted an observational survey in April and June 2002 on major highways and local roads in 200 locations around New York State. Of the 39,042 drivers observed, 1,160 (3 percent) were using cell phones. Of those, 2 percent were observed using hands-free devices, while 67 percent were holding the phones to their ears.
A follow-up telephone survey will be conducted in November and December, with a follow-up observational survey scheduled for April and June 2003.