TEDx to come to Ithaca and feature student talks
Student attendee applications for TEDxIthaca close Jan. 31 for the conference, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 22 in the Hockett Family Recital Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.
TEDx is a program of localized, independent events sponsored by TED, a global nonprofit devoted to the slogan, “Ideas Worth Spreading.” The independently organized event at Ithaca College is hosted by the Student Activities Board. Students will listen to TED Talks videos and live local speakers talking about their lives and initiating conversation among the attendees.
Space is limited to 100 attendees who will listen to and talk with 16 speakers from the Finger Lakes region, including some students from the college.
US Senator of New York to visit Ithaca College
U.S. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York will speak at 1 p.m. Feb. 3 in Emerson Suites as part of her American Opportunity Agenda tour.
According to a press release from Ithaca College, Gillibrand will discuss her proposals to help more middle-class women workers gain financial security by modernizing workplace policies.
Gillibrand joined the Senate in 2009, taking the seat left open after Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State. In 2010, Gillibrand won the special election to serve the remainder of Clinton’s term, after which she was reelected to a full six-year term in 2012. She is a member of Senate Committees on aging, agriculture and armed services.
The event is free and open to the public but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Authors to give sessions to discuss literary works
The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series and the Department of Writing announced public readings for the Spring 2014 semester. Nonfiction writer Maggie Nelson will visit at 6 p.m. Feb. 4, poet Elizabeth Willis will come at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 and novelist Rachel Kushner will appear at 7:30 p.m. March 20. All readings will be held in the Handwerker Gallery.
Maggie Nelson is the author of four nonfiction books including “Bluets,” a meditation of the color blue; an autobiographical book about family, sexual violence and media spectacle titled “The Red Parts: A Memoir;” and “The Art of Cruelty,” a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She is also the author of several books of poetry and is a contributor to many publications including Artforum, Bookforum and Cabinet. Nelson is the winner of numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry.
Five awards to be given for IC faculty excellence
This year, the Faculty Development Committee will offer five Faculty Excellence awards, and for the first time, recipients have the option to choose their award. The first option is a $1,500 monetary award. The second option is a $1,000 monetary award without taxes plus a $1,500 budget line to be used for the recipient’s professional development at his or her discretion. While the budget line will be available through the recipient’s department, it will also be available in addition to any department, school or college funds.
In order to be eligible for these awards, a candidate must be a full-time faculty member who has completed at least one year of employment at Ithaca College and who will be full-time during the 2014–15 academic year.
The foremost criterion for the Excellence Awards is an overall excellence in teaching, scholarship and service appropriate to the professor’s appointment.
Any faculty member, administrator, staff member or student from the college community may nominate an individual for an excellence award. It is the responsibility of the nominator to complete and submit the nomination, though a student nominator may request that this responsibility be given to a faculty member or administrator. Self-nominations are not eligible.
The nomination form along with supporting materials must be submitted to Barney Beins, chair of the Faculty Development Committee, in the Department of Psychology, located in Williams Hall, by March 3.
Alumnus to give speech about local sustainability
The School of Business will host alumnus Norm Jordan ’82 as part of a speaker series beginning at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 in room 111 in the
business school.
Jordan is the senior business intermediary at Gottesman Company, one of the largest mergers and acquisitions firms in North America for companies with sales ranging from $10 million to $500 million.
As senior business intermediary, Jordan works to develop sustainable revenue growth through sales and marketing strategies, as well as maximizing behind-the-scenes administrative operations. In the past, Jordan had experience as the vice president of sales and marketing at Gottesman Company, as well as the national sales manager for CDGM Glass Company USA.
SLI credits for “Leading Others” will be given for this event. Students are asked to register in advance on OrgSync. Registration will close 48 hours before the event, and no credit can be given after closing.
Hammond responds to flu outbreak with free clinics
The Hammond Health Center has seen a sudden increase in visits from students suffering from symptoms of influenza, with 25
laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza occurring Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. The CDC has reported that H1N1 influenza virus is circulating this season and that it may disproportionately affect young and middle-aged adults.
The Health Center will hold a walk-in influenza vaccine clinic from 2–4 p.m. Jan. 30, which is open to all students, faculty and staff. Students may also call the Health Center at 607–274–3177 to schedule a nurse visit to receive the influenza vaccine free of charge. The Health Center is ordering additional influenza vaccine supplies but cannot guarantee unlimited availability because of national demand.
Cornell professor helps mission find Mars rocks
New findings from rock samples collected by NASA’s Mars exploration rover, Opportunity, confirmed an ancient wet environment that was milder and older than the acidic and oxidizing conditions indicated by rocks the rover examined previously. Steve Squyres, Goldwin Smith professor of astronomy at Cornell University, is the mission’s principal investigator.
According to Squyres and others who are on the team, the latest evidence from Opportunity is monumental.
