OCTOBER 2, 2017 VOLUME 97, ISSUE #2 pioneer.cooper.edu [email protected]

ASTOR PLACE SHAKE SHACK

“INSTINCT” TV SHOOT

BLOCK PARTY PHOTOS

AFTER TUITION

FACES OF COOPER VOL. 97 // #2 // PAGE 2 THE PIONEER OCTOBER 2, 2017 SHAKE SHACK AT “INSTINCT” FILMS AT COOPER AFSHIN KHAN (CE ‘19)

Shake Shack, in a 15-year lease realm of giving students more agreement with 51 Astor Place, choices. Student employment is will finally be coming to the East a serious possibility as The Bean Editors-in-Chief: Village in “the next few months” has recently shown this year with Matthew Grattan (ChE ‘19) says Sarah Southerland, who is its grand opening. Although de- in charge of guest experience tails are unclear, the possibility of Kavya Udupa (BSE ‘19) and an insights specialist for working at such an establishment Shake Shack. Despite not having part-time may be of particular an official release date, the news importance to current students at of Shake Shack’s arrival will un- The . doubtedly change eating options for students at Cooper Union, However, the news is surprising Director of Photography: NYU, and St. John’s University. considering the fact that sales Last Thursday, the CBS show “In- and commercials that request to Other burger joints near Cooper for Shake Shack’s second-quarter stinct” filmed scenes outside of 41 use the campus as a filming loca- Wentao Zhang (ChE ‘19) Union include Paul’s Da Burger show a decline of 1.8 percent, ac- , it was the second tion. Ostensibly, the rent brings a Joint, Bareburger, and Five Guys. cording to Shake Shack’s financial time the show has filmed there sizable source of revenue to the But Shake Shack is promising to site. This decline begs the ques- since July. The building, designed school. offer an eating experience unri- tion of whether Shake Shack’s ex- by Thom Mayne of Morphosis, valed by the current choices stu- pansion has hurt its sales. In other was as a police precinct; actors in The TV show “Limitless” also dents have, given Shake Shack’s words, has Shake Shack opened police uniforms congregated out- filmed an episode in 41 Cooper Photographers: high-end interior finishes. too many stores that undercut side along with mock police cars. Square; the building served as a other Shake Shack stores’ poten- science laboratory. Over the sum- Scarlett Chen (Arch ‘22) Previously occupied by Ian tial sales? At least in the case of Because of its unique architec- mer, IBM Watson filmed a -com Lydia Li (ME ‘21) Schrager Co.’s sales office, the 51 Astor Place, the answer to this ture, seems to mercial in room 705. The com- space boasts 3,000 square feet of question is no. The nearest Shake be an attractive filming location. mercial featured a robotic arm Zheng Alex Liu (ChE ‘20) real estate. As part of Shack currently is in Madison “We usually try to accommodate controlled by Cooper lab techni- Yifei Simon Shao (ME ‘19) Shake Shack’s lease agreement, Square Park, 15 streets, 1 mile, or them,” said Christine Sarkissian, cian, Doug Thornhill. ◊ potential competitors are ex- 20 minutes from Cooper Union; a manager of rental programs at cluded from leasing the building distance which, for Manhattan, is Cooper, referring to the TV shows so long as Shake Shack occupies insurmountable. it—something not uncommon in the competitive world of food es- As for student discounts, de- tablishments and eateries. South- tails are sparse, but if other Front Cover: erland stated how “Opening new Shake Shacks are any indicator, Alfred Dudley III (Art ‘18) Shacks are complex projects.” there may not be any. However, Given the recent closure of Mc- at roughly $6 a burger, and $6 a Donald’s after a 20 year run, it is shake, the prices rival those of hard to say that Shake Shack’s ar- Chipotle, and Starbucks. In con- rival has not already changed the junction with The Bean at Cooper, food dynamic for Astor Place. it seems as if 2017 will be a good Writers: year for diversifying food portfoli- Shake Shack’s arrival brings with os and deciding where to eat after Miles Barber (CE ‘18) it another implication outside the classes. ◊ Joseph Bentivegna (EE ‘19)

Evan Bubniak (ME ‘21)

Amal Bukhari (ME ‘21) ARCHITECTURE STUDIO RENOVATION

Brian Frost (EE ‘19) KAVYA UDUPA (BSE ‘19) This past summer the School of the computer studio, on the the students. Now, there are Gabriela Godlewski (CE ‘19) Architecture renovated the com- fourth floor of the Foundation rooms dedicated solely to Isabel Jerome (Art ‘21) puter lab, formally known as the Building. Said lab would be a plotters, laser cutters, 3D Paul Laux Digital Architecture fabrication laboratory, popularly printers, and a CNC machine. Pranav Joneja (ME ‘18) Studio, on the seventh floor of known as a “fab lab,” and would A new 3D printer was bought the Foundation Building. The ren- be adjacent to the already existing to aid the masters’ students Afshin Khan (CE ‘19) ovations were spurred by a $2 mil- wood shops. Rather than making in producing models of their Olivia Heuiyoung Park (ME ‘20) lion donation given to the school massive structural changes there, work. C2 Studio, a startup in about ten years ago. The donor the seventh-floor studio would be Brooklyn, donated a 4-foot Isabella Pestovski (ME ‘19) gave the money with the hopes expanded instead. by 8-foot CNC machine. The Brandon Quinere (CE ‘19) that it would “have a significant founders are Cooper alumni transformation for the School of Few structural changes were who bought the CNC ma- Yuqiao Wang (ChE ‘19) Architecture.” made—only two walls were put chine when they were in their Morgan Wolfe (ME ‘19) up and two openings were cre- thesis year to help spearhead Originally, there was talk of cre- ated. The lab was expanded to the launch of their company. ation of a new lab, separate from include additional machines for The two head monitors of the lab are students Kevin Savil- lon (Arch ’19) and Katherine 715 Sullivan (Arch ’18,) and both were 714 heavily involved in these renova- The Pioneer is printed on tions. They oversaw everything 713 packing paper with soy-based from creating excel files of - po ink by Victoria Sobel (Art ‘13), 712 tential machinery and planning Jacob Jackmauh (Art ‘18) and the electric wiring of the labs to others on their risograph in the demolition and addition of Brooklyn. walls. Kevin mentioned that when the walls were being removed, he could see the original bricks of the Foundation Building, seen to the right. Questions? Concerns? Email The Pioneer at The lab is open to all three schools [email protected] and the hours match building Top photos by Scarlett Chen (Arch or visit LL217. hours, the only difference being ‘21). Bottom photo by Kevin Savil- that the lab opens at 9 a.m. rath- lon (Arch ‘19). Before these renovations, room 714 was the architecture library and room er than 7:30 a.m. Over forty stu- 715 was an unused classroom. The computer studios were rooms 712 and dents have been hired from all The Pioneer reached out to As- 713. The library was moved to room 712 and the unused classroom was three schools so that any student sistant Dean O’Donnell in regards moved to room 312 which used to be a thesis room. The new studio is now can get anything machined at any to the renovations to which no re- from rooms 713 to 715, a detailed floor plan can be seen above. hour. ◊ sponse was received. VOL. 97 // #2 // PAGE 3 THE PIONEER OCTOBER 2, 2017 FACES OF COOPER: DOUG THORNHILL PRANAV JONEJA (ME ‘18)

Doug is the lab manager for the mechanical out. So, I made my own glasses using the engineering labs on the seventh floor of the laser cutter here at Cooper. I got some solar NAB. His role involves helping students with film, which I had from my days as- anas the more practical side of their courses, like tronomer, and mounted it between a cou- fabricating things for ME-211 Design & Pro- ple of layers of birch plywood I lasercut. I totyping and assisting lab work for ME-352 attached this to a pair of binoculars and it Process Control. worked very well. Our friends got togeth- er in Central Park and we made playlists When did you move to ? with “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and had How did you join Cooper Union? space-themed food like my wife’s home- made moon pie. My friends and I like to do I first came to New York to join my fiancée themed stuff for our get-togethers. (and now wife), who moved here to get her Master’s degree in theology and the arts. How did you start working on astrono- my and satellites? My first job when I moved here was for a NASA project. I built a robot that tests glass Well, it was a long road. It actually took me to be used in a scientific satellite that’s still 15 years to finish my undergraduate- de operational in orbit today. Thornhill stands in front of a robotic arm in room 705. Over the summer, he controlled the arm gree, but I finally got my Bachelor’s degree for an IBM Watson commercial filmed in the lab. in Astrophysics from Columbia University While I’ve lived here, I’ve also worked vari- in 2013. That was a big year for me because ous other jobs: in labs at Columbia, at New The actual decision to get engaged was the and then kicks off into orbit by accelerating it was actually the same year that the satel- York Designs (a startup incubator), and also most unromantic thing ever. She was here ahead of the plane. The launch happened in lite was launched, and it was also the year I at CUNY. in New York already and I was still in Flor- the middle of the night so that by the time got married after being engaged for seven ida. We had made a decision that I would it reached orbit, it could unfurl its solar cell years. I first heard about Cooper from my work move to New York and we were on the right as the sun was rising. with an alumnus, Robert Stark (ME ‘80). phone one day talking about the logistics. Anyways, the reason it took me that long to Yeah, I know there are the immediate ref- I asked if we could consider living together During the launch, all we could see was a get my degree was because I was working erences to “Game of Thrones” (Robb Stark) and she said that her mom was kinda tra- video feed of the rocket attached to the a job, sometimes two jobs, while going to and Iron Man (Stark Industries). Anyways, ditional and that she wouldn’t go for it. We bottom of the plane and another feed of school. And they were bad shifts, like mid- Bob was the lab manager at Columbia Uni- started looking for a way to say, “we’re in mission control. It was especially tense for night to 8 a.m. But I was still always taking versity’s mechanical engineering depart- this for the long term,” so that her mom my team because the project had 10 years classes and I did whatever I could to keep ment, and I worked with him there. He would be okay with us living together. To- of development, including my job which the torch lit. spoke so highly of Cooper all the time. wards the end of this conversation, I say “I was 4 years of scanning tens of thousands think we’re um… engaged?” so she goes and of pieces of glass for use in the telescope’s Do you have any plans to continue Once I learned more about Cooper, the asks her roommates that she’s known about lens. It went on for what seemed like for- working on similar things? richness of the practical side of engineer- a week. She says to them: “I really like Doug ever. ing education drew me here. Other schools and Doug really likes me. We kinda want to I do! I actually moonlight right now on a are heavy in theory, but when it comes to spend the rest of our lives together. Are we So the countdown starts and we’re watching project to make a high-altitude balloon picking up hand tools and learning how to engaged?” And, so, it turned out that we and all we can see on the grainy, night-vi- experiment. It’s a collaborative effort be- make something—that doesn’t really hap- were going to spend the rest of our lives sion video feed is the rocket drop from the tween MIT and Columbia. The mission is pen at other places. Plus, it’s amazing that together. plane and then fall out of frame. And then, to float a gondola around the South Pole undergraduates are deeply involved in aca- we could sorta see the belly of the aircraft to detect dark matter by looking at specific demic research at Cooper. At other schools, You mentioned a NASA project. What light up very bright. We had no idea what radiation given off by antimatter products you are fighting tooth and nail to maybe get was it? to expect, I mean did it explode?! Then, we of a particular reaction. My work is to help on a research team, whereas here you’re ac- learn that it was just the first stage of the make the testing platform for the array of tually doing the research one-on-one with It’s a satellite called NuSTAR, which stands rocket kicking off. So we couldn’t even see detectors. The difficulty is that the test the professor. for Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array. it directly, we just saw the flash from the platform also needs to simulate perfor- It’s an X-ray telescope that does black hole ignition on the bottom of the airplane. mance at very low temperatures and a high How did you meet your wife? surveys, including looking at supermassive altitude above the Antarctic. black holes. It’s also looked at hard X-rays Did you see the solar eclipse this year? I met her when we both worked in science directly from the sun, too. Do you have any advice for Cooper stu- outreach at the University of Florida. The I wanted to go to Charleston, but unfortu- dents? program, Science Quest, was a pre-college NuSTAR was launched on a Pegasus XL nately it turned out to be pretty expensive summer camp, and we were both coun- rocket from Kwajalein Atoll in the middle for my wife and I to go down there. We still “Always get a second textbook.” That’s aca- selors for three years in a row. During my of the Pacific. What’s interesting about the made plans to see the eclipse from here in demic advice and also life advice. ◊ last summer there, we met and then within Pegasus is that it launches by dropping New York, but by the time our plans came two-and-a-half months we were engaged. from the belly of an airplane like a weapon together, all the eclipse glasses were sold AFTER TUITION PART I: QUESTIONS AND A BRIEF HISTORY EVAN BUBNIAK (ME ‘21) | MATTHEW GRATTAN (ChE ‘19)

Since the announcement in 2013, The Coo- president of The Cooper Union from July consequence, all four-year undergraduate better? And if we’ve lost something, what per Union has admitted four tuition-paying 2000 until July 2011. The NAB replaced the students at Cooper, beginning this fall, are can be said about the tuition-based model classes. That is to say: Barring fifth-year ar- Hewitt Building, which housed the School part of the school’s new business model. of American higher education? chitecture students, every undergraduate of Art; Engineering classes were, prior to at Cooper pays tuition, and the first-ever the construction of the NAB, held at 51 Peter Cooper founded this school on the There’s an answer that most of us would class of tuition-payers in Cooper’s centu- Astor Place. (That building too was recon- basis of merit and equality, education ir- prefer to hear: We were better off tuition ry-and-a-half history will graduate in the structed in 2013 and now houses, among respective of class or wealth. Now, we stu- free. But perhaps it’s more prudent to as- spring. others, St. John’s University, IBM Watson, dents pay for our education in one way or sume the worst, and prove ourselves wrong. and soon Shake Shack as its tenants.) another. Does that change the relationships Cooper is not—and never has been—the between students, instructors, and this Over the coming weeks, The Pioneer will typical American college experience. Yet, is Because of Cooper Union’s charter—which school? Do we—should we—expect more write a series of articles detailing how, it possible that tuition has changed our in- cemented its philosophy of providing a from this school? After all, we are paying to since the introduction of tuition, the Coo- stitution? Have we lost something beyond tuition-free education to all its students— go here. We’re not paying to fail classes, or per Union has, or hasn’t, changed, qualita- the full-tuition scholarship? Or conversely, the school’s financial crisis was an -iden get poor critiques, right? If our education is tively and quantitatively. This series aims have we gained anything? tity crisis. The Board of Trustees, which no longer just an enrichment but a financial to investigate how tuition has changed the had approved the construction of the New investment, is it wrong to expect a financial makeup of the student body, how it has In 2013, The Cooper Union was suffering Academic Building and the mortgage from return? But then again, is it wrong to apply altered students’ expectations from the from a massive hangover. The school was MetLife needed to finance it, was overly economics to education? school, and how it has affected Cooper it- saddled with a $175 million mortgage after optimistic about their ability to make up self. a poorly-timed gamble in the stock market the difference with the increasing value Cooper’s recent history can serve as a with its endowment and the construction of Cooper Union’s real estate holdings in source of introspection and as a case study. The point of this article is to raise ques- of a new, ultramodern academic building. the city and an ambitious fundraising cam- Cooper was tuition-free but now no lon- tions. The following articles will attempt Cooper was struggling to keep up with the paign. ger. Could a comparison be made between to answer them in some capacity and ask interest payments. Cooper Union and other universities in the more. Ultimately, what can we learn about Jan. 10, 2018 will be the four-year anniver- United States? If we’ve gained something ourselves as students, as faculty, and as The New Academic Building was the brain- sary of the Cooper Union Board of Trustees’ from tuition, does that mean our financial an institution? We owe that much to our- child of George Campbell, who was the vote to ratify tuition for new students. As a woes have inadvertently led us somewhere selves. ◊ VOL. 97 // #2 // PAGE 4 THE PIONEER OCTOBER 2, 2017 FACES OF COOPER: JENNIFER WEISER AMAL BUKHARI (ME ‘21)

What classes will you be teaching at me to talk to his professor to help me fig- students alternate Cooper this year? ure out my next step. I thought I would go techniques and how to graduate school for pharmacology, make that can improve a Right now, I’m teaching material science drugs, and work with drug delivery. Instead, lab procedure is re- for chemical engineers which is a sopho- that professor told me that I could stay in ally enjoyable. For more class. I also teach the senior separa- engineering and be a biomedical engineer. material science, I tion process principles class. In the spring, His lab was actually biomedical and chem- love showing stu- my plan is to teach a graduate-level drug ical. It’s possible to do this biomedical re- dents that the sub- delivery class and the second semester of search in engineering while tackling other ject doesn’t have to the senior lab. areas, too. You use your expertise in engi- be a cut-and-dried neering to do the whole set-up, not just to experience. Materi- I noticed you have a lot of teaching ex- make one miniscule molecule in the lab. It als are physical, so perience, including at other universi- was really cool to be able to go back and let’s make things ties. What brought you to Cooper? marry my chemical engineering experience and touch them. I and the experience I had as a chemist in a want to help stu- I’m from the area, and I know The Cooper pharmaceutical company to solve medical dents see how this Union. It’s just one of those places that problems. I fell in love with it. I loved the can help them in leaves you in awe. The faculty and student opportunity to help people more directly the future. I am also community really contributes to that. This than I had been able to previously. a very tactile per- is like a dream, and I never thought I’d get son so sometimes I to be here. It’s great to have students who Wow, so do you think you’ll be doing any want to see and feel are so passionate. research projects here at Cooper? materials before I work with them. So, what do you feel is different about I actually have some interesting stuff go- Cooper compared to other places? ing on right now. I have a collaboration The separations going on with the Yale School of Medicine class is a fun chal- It’s a school that really values education, Otolaryngology Department, working on a lenge because that which is a rare thing nowadays. Finding device to help with post-surgical complica- was a class I loved faculty and students who are so invested tions. I’d love bringing in Cooper students in undergrad, so in education is great. To be able to engage on that. If any students have ideas about that’s really great with students and them with my back- drug delivery, wound healing, or anything to teach. I’m excit- ground and experiences is really exciting. like that I’m open to collaborate. ed for the drug de- livery class because Speaking of your background in teach- Can you tell me about the startup com- that’s my specialty Photo by Wentao Zhang (ChE ‘19). ing, could you tell me about the “scien- pany you joined, iFyber? and it was a class I took with my adviser. I It never dawned on me that I wouldn’t be tist in residence” program you partici- would love to build on these concepts be- able to do this. pated in at Cornell? My adviser in graduate school worked cause a lot of students don’t know all the with Robert Langer, a Professor from MIT, fundamentals to the different types of drug What was your favorite thing about There used to be a program run by the during his postdoctoral fellowship. He’s delivery. The senior lab will be really fun your undergraduate experience? National Science Foundation called the well-known for doing start-ups, and my because I love working in labs. I can’t pick Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education. adviser had a start-up with Dr. Langer. I a favorite! I love them all. I really loved doing the chemical engineer- schools would apply for grants and get wanted a chance to work in small industry ing car. It’s an annual student competi- graduate students to spend the summer since I had experience in big industry. I had You and Professor Simson are both new tion as a part of the American Institute of working with a local elementary, middle a year to work on the project, so I built up hires, and are both women. How do feel Chemical Engineers. It’s about being able or high school teacher. The teacher would a lab in a strip mall in Ithaca. There was a about that? to master a chemical reaction based on the work in my lab at Cornell, and we would do fume hood and very limited lab equipment. parameters you’re given. You build a vehicle a project throughout the summer and then I was the chemist and had to make it hap- It’s incredible. I remember having a con- and they tell you about 30 minutes before they would present it. I also got training pen. I drilled the safety chain for the nitro- versation with some undergraduate friends the actual competition the distance it has on how to be a more effective communi- gen tank into the wall, when I needed ice about a month ago and someone asked me, to go and the weight of water it has to car- cator for younger generations. In graduate for a chemical reaction I had to go down to “How many female professors did you ever ry. You have to figure out how to calibrate school you engage with people around your the gas station for it, and I was also respon- have in undergrad, for anything?” and I your car. I joined it in sophomore year and age and who know the same vocabulary. It’s sible for my own environmental health and couldn’t even think of one. I think I had one by junior year I was captain of the team. We harder to convey ideas to people who aren’t safety concerns. For all the organic waste I female professor for half of a lab class senior won regionals and placed fifth in nationals. versed in your knowledge base. The pro- had to figure out how to remove it regularly. year. It was incredible to realize that now Every four years they have an internation- gram helped me express scientific ideas at It was DIY organic chemistry that married almost half the department is comprised al chemical engineering conference where a different level. my organic chemistry background with my of women, and a lot of classes are going the competition is hosted. That year we got chemical engineering knowledge. It was a to be taught by women. Hopefully there’s to compete in Scotland. In the internation- During that school year I would drive to a really formative experience, and because no difference between a male and female al competition we placed sixth, which was high school in Elmira, NY. I went to a biol- of it I’m comfortable setting up a lab and professor but it’s nice to see. I never had great! Working with people in different ogy class and brought experiments with me doing it all myself. the experience of thinking “I can’t do this grades than me, getting to travel around, every week. Since I do biomedical projects, because I’m a woman” because my mother being very involved and responsible for a I would be able to present them a pacemak- Just to clarify, your undergrad was in became a biochemist at a time when being a project was really good. I hope to help with er and say, “Maybe one of your relatives chemical engineering and your gradu- woman in science wasn’t looked well upon. the ChemE car here, if they’re open to it. ◊ has one. This is what it looks like and this ate work was in biomedicine? is how we make it.” I was able to enhance their education, but it also enhanced mine. Yes, my Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral re- UPCOMING EVENTS If you can’t effectively articulate your sto- search were under biomedical engineering BRIAN FROST (EE ‘19) ries, you’re not going to be an effective ed- and my undergrad was in chemical engi- ucator. So, it was a really great experience neering. Although, biomedical is somewhat Daniel Libeskind: From Zero to Infinity Uzma Rizvi: Decolonizing Archaeology for me. a catch-all word that really attracts any This coming Tuesday at 7 p.m., renowned As part of the Intra-Disciplinary Seminar major that wants to help in medicine. My Polish-American architect Daniel Libes- Public Lecture Series, Pratt Institute Pro- I’ve noticed a lot of your interests lie in peers in graduate school included mechan- kind will be speaking in the Great Hall. fessor of Anthropology Uzma Rizvi will be the biomedical realm. At the outset of ical engineers and electrical engineers, and Libeskind is a Cooper Union alumnus, most speaking in Rose Auditorium this Tuesday your career did you always plan to com- maybe only one of the 12 of us had done famous for his work as master plan archi- at 7 p.m.. In this lecture, Professor Rizvi will bine chemical engineering with bio- biomedical engineering in undergrad. It’s tect for the World Trade Center. This talk is be highlighting the sociopolitical short- medical applications? an interesting world to be in since it’s truly part of this fall’s Art & Activism series, and comings of the field of archaeology, and ar- the field of helping people. I still feel like a is free and open to the public. Seat reserva- guing for its decolonization as a solution. My family is a bunch of doctors. My father is chemical engineer, and an organic chemist. tions are available through Eventbrite.com. This talk is free and open to the public. a radiologist and my mother is a professor of You never have to lose your roots; you just biochemistry. My brother, who is now a sur- keep adding to them. Ai Weiwei at Great Hall Imagine Science Film Festival geon, went into biomedical engineering for To mark the opening of his new Good Fenc- Imagine Science Films is hosting its 10th his undergraduate degree. I was thinking, You have so many interests, what’s your es Make Good Neighbors exhibit on Oct. 12, annual film festival from Oct. 13 to Oct. “I can’t do the same thing as my brother!” favorite thing to teach between chemis- multimedia artist and activist Ai Weiwei 20. As part of this festival, there will be an Instead, I decided on chemical engineering try and all the biomedical material? will be speaking at the Great Hall. The ex- event titled Immersive Science Storytelling because I loved chemistry and I thought it hibit, presented by the Public Art Fund, will at 41 Cooper Square on Oct. 19 from 7 p.m. would be a great marriage of my interests. I That’s a really hard question because I consist of more than 300 sites throughout to 10 p.m. The event is focused on virtual wound up becoming a chemist but I always love teaching it all! Each class is a unique New York City, and is inspired by the cur- and augmented reality as media for story- liked medicine. I actually spent ten years challenge. I love teaching organic chemis- rent global migrant crisis. This event is also telling, featuring interactive demos. This is volunteering in an Ambulance Corps. It try because I have real-life pharmaceutical part of the Art & Activism series, and will a free event, and reservations can be made was actually my brother who encouraged chemistry experience. Being able to show be at 6:30 p.m. through Eventbrite.com. VOL. 97 // #2 // PAGE 5 THE PIONEER OCTOBER 2, 2017 THE BREAKDOWN: TRACKS MILES OF MOVIES: “KINGSMAN: UNDER THE RADAR THE GOLDEN CIRCLE”

BRIAN FROST (EE ‘19) MILES BARBER (CE ‘18) With the start of the new school semester, but these projects are exactly as excellent “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is about it gets significantly harder to keep up with as their production material. This new (un- Eggsy (Taron Egerton), who was taken off new music releases outside of our well-de- official) single, “Confessions Pt III,” has a the streets and turned into a spy disguised fined comfort zones. These past two weeks perfect balance between flashy solo -per as an English Gentleman in the Kingsman: have seen incredibly lackluster album and formance and solid backing instrumental. The Secret Service. But when they are single drops in the pop music universe, so Colin Stetson, impressively, starts the track practically destroyed by Poppy (Julianne with that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of a off with these dynamic, high-tempo arpeg- Moore), a drug queen, the surviving King- few excellent tracks that may have flown gios that he plays continuously for the first smen need to find other spies to help them under the radar. Whatever your tastes may five minutes of the track. All the while, a take down Poppy. be, here are a few songs to try out while strong rhythm, bassline and sub-melody studying this week. saxophone develop, creating a sense of ad- Now, there are some fun moments in this venturous progress to the song. If you like film. The film opens with a car chase which Björk - “The Gate” jazz music, or if you simply enjoy listen- was a lot of fun. Mark Strong has some For nearly three decades now, Björk has ing to instrumental music while studying, great moments in the film, and the cast brought her incredibly unique talent to this song is definitely worth streaming; it’s seems to be trying their best. And the film several genres of music, making it very available for free on SoundCloud. has a lot of fun exploring the American challenging to read the direction of a Björk counterparts to the Kingsmen - The States- album before it’s released. “The Gate” is the BROCKHAMPTON - “GOLD” men. But the problem is that this film just lead single for her upcoming Utopia album, This year has seen a lot of ambitious, un- doesn’t have much of a story. In the first and it sets the stage for a slow-paced and derground hip-hop artists make their way film, Eggsy’s story about being made into vocals-focused project. The lack of aggres- to the mainstream through viral music a gentleman and realizing his potential sion and direction to the track’s produc- videos and SoundCloud drops, but few of was what really made the story compelling. tion, coupled with elegant, repetitive vocal these artists are as consistent or talented Even throughout all of the action, you had melodies give the song a fantastic and at- as BROCKHAMPTON. This single, along somebody to care about. He develops this mospheric quality, which is well supported with the much more aggressive “STAR” great friendship with Harry (Colin Firth), Image source: IMDb by the song’s sensorily overwhelming mu- and “HEAT,” preempted the collective’s who shows him the ropes. Right there, you is Merlin (Mark Strong), the weapons ex- sic video. This track is wonderfully psyche- first major project,Saturation, back in May. have two characters you care about that are pert of Kingsmen. He never really got to go delic and avant-garde, and anybody with It makes this list, however, because the trying to figure out the villain’s plan. It’s out into the field and Mark Strong makes a taste for trip-hop or atmospheric music group is currently as relevant as ever; they focused, at least narratively. you feel this character’s yearning for field should definitely give it a listen. Likewise, have released two full-length projects this service, giving the strongest performance if you have a taste for experimental fash- summer alone, and are slated to release an- This film has no characters you care about in the film. ion, definitely check out the music video. other entire album by the end of the year. and no focus to its story. It feels like scenes This track is a great sample of their music were shot separately and then played back- There are some other problems with the BADBADNOTGOOD - “Confessions Pt III if you haven’t heard of them yet, featuring to-back with no justification. There are film. It uses a ridiculous amount ofcom- (feat. Colin Stetson)” exciting synthy production, an incredibly robot dogs in this movie and Elton John puter generated effects. It gives one of its BBNG is one of the most powerful forces catchy hook from frontman Kevin Abstract, makes appearances in like, ten scenes. characters a disability that comes and goes in popular jazz music right now, and for and palpable group cohesion from the oth- Why? Julianne Moore plays her villain with at the plot’s convenience. It’s just tonally good reason. Having provided instrumen- er members of BROCKHAMPTON. If you no edge whatsoever. She speaks in this uneven everywhere. The music is a rehash tation for contemporary hip-hop artists like hip-hop music and haven’t heard these overly cutesy voice while ordering people of what was in the first film and even cop- like Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown and Earl guys yet, you should definitely start with to do disgusting things. The problem is ies a piece used in the “X-Men: First Class.” Sweatshirt, even if you don’t know them this track. If you’re interested in hearing that you can never take her seriously so As I said, there are some fun moments here by name, you’ve likely heard BBNG’s mu- more of their material, they’re constantly she never feels like a threat. I have no idea and there, but given the length of this film sic. Albums and singles under their name releasing high-energy, colorful music vid- what the writers were thinking! To make (2 hours and 21 minutes) and just how tend to stay well out of the mainstream, eos on their YouTube channel. ◊ things even worse, she has no real moti- pointless it all seemed without a story or vation to attack the Kingsman except for good characters, I can’t help but feel like wanting them out of the way. Who thought this is a disappointment across the board. ◊ FOURTH ANNUAL PETER this character would work? The only char- acter in this film that has any growth at all Grade: C- COOPER BLOCK PARTY CULT: COOPER ULTIMATE LETTUCE TEAM

JOSEPH BENTIVEGNA (EE ‘19) As many who attended Cooper Union’s tion. Currently, there is no official date Fall Festival this year know, a new and set for this year’s competition but a JAC unique club named Cooper Ultimate Let- email will be sent out to the student body tuce Team, or CULT, has taken the student when the founders determine a date and body by storm. The club, founded by Luka time. The current facilitators of the CULT Lipovac (EE ‘19) and Ostap Voynarovski (EE urge all interested to RSVP to the event for ‘19), amassed huge interest for a seemingly lettuce-buying purposes. To sign up, head unknown activity and over 35 people have over to the JAC website and sign in with already signed up to take part in this year’s your Cooper credentials, or contact Luka festivities. Lipovac, Ostap Voynarovski, or Joseph Ben- tivegna via Facebook to learn more. So, what exactly is CULT? Cooper Ultimate Lettuce Team is a group of individ- uals who meet annually to take part in a club-wide lettuce eating competition. At this gathering, members compete to see who can fin- ish an entire head of iceberg lettuce in the fastest time possible. The first person to finish their lettuce becomes the new “Head of Lettuce” and thus the new president of the CULT. The new presi- dent is responsible for facil- itating the competition for the next year. In addition to the title, the reward for being “Head of Lettuce” is adding your face to a t-shirt containing a picture of let- tuce and pictures of all the previous winners. The Block Party is an annual neighborhood celebration hosted by the Cooper Union Alumni Association. Various Cooper student organizations like the Engineering and Art Student Coun- Cooper Ultimate Lettuce cils, Queer & Allies, and Cooper Rad.io set up booths at the event. From left to right: President Team is an official Cooper Laura Sparks and her daughter, Victoria Sobel (Art ‘13), Professor Sam Keene, and Kiersten Union club and will receive Mercado (Art ‘19) and Professor Toby Cumberbatch. Photos by Kelly Occhiuzzo. JAC funding for the lettuce required for the competi- Poster by Luka Lipovac (EE ‘19). VOL. 97 // #2 // PAGE 6 THE PIONEER OCTOBER 2, 2017 CROSSWORD THE PIONEER STAFF ACROSS: DOWN: 1. One of Weber’s many Broadway hits 1. Prefix, same side 6. Marvel’s _____ Industries 2. One of three schools 9. Kurds voted for independence from ____ 3. “Reputation” singer 10. Venezuela’s Washington D.C. 4. Database language 11. Fashion 5. The dreaded Metro ______Authority 12. _____, I’m Adam. 6. Polynesian Island 13. 10-9 7. Will give you a free pat-down 14. Said “Aah” in 2009 8. Oddfellows owner/went to White Castle 15. _____ Place 16. OG Puzzlemaster 18. Important lady in your life 17. Hungers for 19. #1 Across based on this author’s book 24. Fallout card game 20. Universal recipient 25. 12 step program for addiction therapy 21. Charleston, __ 26. ChE ‘04 22. Founded by Roger Williams 27. Not the Disney movie, the element 23. Jupiter moon 31. Hoppy beer 24. Neandrathel 33. Successor of SSL 26. Sorry I didn’t respond, I was ___ 34. Reddit equivalent of an interview 26. Prevents pregnancy and poorly typeset 35. Dora’s helper equations 27. Act classy, think _____. 29. First name of the co-founder of Cornell University 30. Type of bagel 32. Online video game store 36. Pioneer’s very own TUNEAGE HIP OR HYPED: FRYGUYS 37. A bean, a teacher 38. Islamic religious text ISABELLA PESTOVSKI (ME ‘19) | MORGAN WOLFE (ME ‘19) 39. Bend and ____ It is common knowledge that New York City The fries were good enough that we could is the hub of many famous food trends such see ourselves craving them, as well as going as rolled ice cream, cronuts, edible cookie back to try other flavors or combinations— OLI’S SWEET MESS: ODDFELLOWS dough, over the top milkshakes...the list especially after a night out. It’s definitely OLIVIA HEUIYOUNG PARK (ME ‘20) goes on. With all these wondrous concoc- made for sharing as each dish is loaded tions, you really wonder: is the food is tru- with two pounds of fries. While not the Malt Maitake Peanut, Raspberry Pink Pep- you can try as many flavors as you want, ly hip or just hyped? We can’t always trust largest establishment, FryGuys is very col- percorn “sorbet,” Miso Peanut Butter, Red so that you can try some of the unconven- Insider videos on Facebook or our favorite orful and plays fun music, providing a cool Velvet and Beet, Kirin Cherry, and more. tional flavors before being adventurous and food bloggers’ Instagram posts, so we are atmosphere where small groups can hang This unlikely list is actually part of the ro- getting a whole scoop. offering you an unbiased report on the food out. Ultimately, however, it seems FryGuys tating flavors of the homey ice cream par- itself. How it tastes, the a e s t h e t i c, and places style over substance and the fries lor—OddFellows. Originating from Brook- They have a stamp card, and for every 10 how we feel being there. In the moment, we make for a better Instagram post than a lyn, this ice cream parlor is founded by stamps you get a scoop for free! They also decide if this food trend is HIP or HYPED. satisfying snack. three friends: Sam Mason, Holiday Kumar, donate 5 cents for every serving of ice and Mohan Kumar. Their goal is to bring cream they sell to Food Bank of New York The first place we tried: FryGuys. Located Final verdict: Bella and Morgan both say nuance and depth to flavors, which results City, so treat yourself with some delicious at Second Street and , this new HYPED. ◊ in anything from delicious classics to un- cold treats while also supporting a good joint boasts loaded fries of varying styles, conventionally unique flavors. cause! ◊ but also offers plain fries with the option FryGuys to customize with your choice of sauces. 150 E. 2nd St. Although they have three scoop shops in OddFellows The most popular orders are: Drunk Guy Sunday-Thursday, 12 p.m. 2 a.m. total, they do have various pop-ups and 75 E. 4th St. and Southern Guy. We decided to try Drunk Friday-Saturday 12 p.m.- 4 a.m. collaborations with other restaurants, and Sunday-Thursday, 2 p.m.-11 p.m. Guy, classic thick-cut fries topped with the one in East Village is special in that its Friday-Saturday, 12 p.m.-12 a.m. bacon, queso, and guacamole. We were full name is “OddFellows:The Sandwich initially intrigued by Shop.” Not only do they serve delicious the delicious com- ice cream and Grady’s Cold Brew on tap, bination of toppings they also have various menu items like the but were ultimately “Odd Pocket”—a warm brioche filled with disappointed. The ice cream and toppings of your choice—and queso coagulated as cookie ice cream sandwiches. the fries cooled and the guacamole was Although I’ve been so often that the scoo- made with unripe pers all recognize me now, I always check avocados giving an their website to see the flavors that are on off-putting texture. for the day, and rush over to ensure that The bacon was good the flavor I want isn’t sold out. Their fresh though! The fries home-made waffle cones are amazing, and were well seasoned, but otherwise aver- age.

There aren’t that many places that offer fries with top- pings so in that re- spect, FryGuys is unique. However, if you are looking for excellent plain fries, you’d be better off checking out Ma- moun’s or .

Photo by Isabella Pestovski (ME ‘19). Photos by Lydia Li (ME ‘21).