Mchugh Leads Research Trip to Haiti
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Graduating Student Profiles 3 ... Early Career Awards for Six Scientists 6 ...Project Excel Success 9 ...Using Birdsongs to Study Memory 7 Puppet Theater CLICK HERE QUEENS COLLEGE FacuLTY | STAFFf NEWyS MAYi 2010 McHugh Leads College Celebrates Research Trip to 86th Commencement on May 27 Haiti Commencement 2010 finds new hands This year two extraordinary research guiding the more than 2,200 graduating opportunities drew Cecilia McHugh (Earth students through the celebration of their & Env. Sci.) to sites half a world apart. achievement—and it all will begin with Last winter she took part in a three-month a gesture intended to become a new research expedition to New Zealand, and tradition. shortly after that she headed an urgent Just as incoming freshmen have expedition to Haiti. begun each of the past two years with a Off the coast of New Zealand, on board Welcome Day ceremony in which they the R/V JOIDES Resolution, McHugh enter campus through one of the Kissena studied “very deep holes that hold the Avenue gates, this year’s graduating class history of global changes in sea level and will enter Commencement in the same the climate,” she explains. manner—this time, using both gates and The vessel’s drilling rig, eight stories having a final opportunity before they high, brought up the deepest core (1,927 are conferred to reflect on the Queens meters) ever drilled by one expedition of Cecilia McHugh (holding lifering) and fellow researchers onboard the Research College motto that appears in the iron the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Vessel Endeavor. work: "We learn so that we may serve." in sediments. This sediment will give to Haiti,” she relates. Unlike the South student Katie R. Mishkin was part of the “Ceremonies are very important glimpses into sea level change as far back Pacific voyage that involved 300 expedition. It also involved several Haitian to people—especially to students,” as 34 million years, when Antarctica international scientists and at least five and U.S. geoscientists and opens up observes Student Life Office Director separated from Australia. years of planning, this time the principal possibilities for bringing Haitian students John Andrejack, who is directing QC’s Commencement for the first time along Analyzing other cores, “We were investigators had to condense months of to QC and CUNY. with Events Office Director Wendy Lee surprised at what we think were warm preparation into two weeks. This National Science Foundation (see story page 11). He notes that the conditions during geologic periods On board the R/V Endeavor from (NSF) Rapid Response expedition merged class of 2011 will be the first to fulfill generally accepted as cold. We thought the February 20 to March 13, McHugh guided seismic science with a mission of mercy: President James Muyskens’ vision of oceans had cooled much earlier,” she notes. the research team in assessing the Haitian transporting 40 huge donated tents to be set students beginning and completing their Returning January 16, McHugh knew quake’s causes and why an unexpected up for schools. QC experience by ceremonially walking what she had to do in response to the tsunami had followed in its wake. Her team “It was an eerie feeling to go into the through the gates. devastating quake. “I began raced to document the ephemeral evidence bay of Port-au-Prince,” McHugh recalls, “All of the research shows that cer- to propose an expedition before shallow waters dispersed it. PhD for it was like a war zone with all the emonies and college rituals contribute to Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 Haiti - from page 1 earthquake-resistant buildings for Haiti. Commencement - from page 1 massive ships docked. “You could see She is gratified that the United Nations Shadow Lines won the Sahitya Akademi Award, India’s most prestigious literary smoke coming out of the city, you knew is using “all of the recommendations we better rates of retention and higher levels prize. His most recent book is Sea of there were flattened buildings and 250,000 made,” among them devising a prototype of student satisfaction,” he says. “So I’m Poppies (2008). people dead there,” she relates. to take to villages to show masons how to glad that the college is continuing in this direction.” The principal Commencement speaker With no visas, the Endeavor’s team construct sturdier homes. Of course, QC’s Eighty-Sixth will be Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian could not go on shore. But from inflatables In her report on the Endeavor expedition, Kate Moran, senior policy analyst for Commencement will be notable for the physician who has worked in Israeli hos- during surveying, “We saw a huge amount pitals and is committed to reconcilia- the White House Office of Science and absence of Joe Brostek, who directed the of destruction, houses demolished, where tion between Israelis and Palestinians. In Technology Policy, was impressed with event for the past 21 years. But before the earth had slipped into the sea,” she January 2009, during an Israeli military how it was “led by a dynamic woman retiring in February, he passed along notes. to new directors Lee and Andrejack operation in Gaza, three of his daughters with a long record of mentoring students Their survey delineated a potential site what they call “The Joe were killed when an Israeli of all ages.” Moran’s words well capture for a now-much-needed new port. McHugh Brostek Bible.” tank fired upon the fam- McHugh. hopes to continue mapping “Our job,” says Lee, ily’s home. Despite his the area, in part to show how “is to provide as much great personal tragedy, compression played a much information as possible Abuelaish remains com- bigger part. “When you have and to give attendees mitted to the peace effort. compression, you have the as broad a sense of the To honor his daughters, danger of a thrust earthquake, event as we can before he has created Daughters and the danger of a thrust they even arrive. What’s for Life, a foundation dedi- earthquake is a tsunami,” she different about this year cated to providing educa- says. is that John and I have tion and health access to McHugh was invited to a decided to put everything women and girls in Gaza March conference in Miami related to preparation for and the Middle East. to mobilize efforts to develop The Research Vessel Endeavor Commencement on the Web.” A nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, With an anticipated crowd of Abuelaish will be honored the evening 10,000—including students’ family mem- before Commencement at the capstone bers and guests, some coming from event for QC’s new Center for Ethnic, foreign countries—Lee and Andrejack Racial and Religious Understanding along have also been busy urging students with with Lewis Bernstein, a QC alum and foreign guests to complete the process of Orthodox Jew who founded the Sesame securing letters from the college affirm- Street Children’s Creative Workshop. ing their graduation so they can work Bernstein has successfully pioneered with their respective embassies to secure “Sesame Street’s” global educational proper visas and other entrance docu- efforts, including in the Middle East, ments in time for Commencement. where his programs have reached Israel, This year’s honorary degree recipient the West Bank, and deep into the Arab will be author Amitav Ghosh, who was and Muslim world. The center will also formerly (1997–2002) a distinguished announce that evening the name of a professor of comparative literature at QC student it is recognizing for fostering QC. One of India’s best-known writers, understanding between people on or off Ghosh studied in Dehra Dun, New Delhi, campus. Alexandria, and Oxford; his first job was QC’s Baccalaureate Ceremony hon- at the Indian Express newspaper in New oring academic excellence will be held Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht’s classic version of the traditional Delhi. He earned a doctorate at Oxford on Tuesday, May 25, at 7 pm in Colden Chinese myth, was performed by the QC Drama, Theatre & Dance Dept. before he wrote his first novel, The Circle Auditorium. Some of our excellent stu- at the Performance Space at Rathaus on April 17. of Reason (1986). His 1990 novel The dents are profiled below. 2 Graduates To Begin New Lives – Once Again Sandra “But I so much enjoy learning, and my he arrived at QC in 2004. “I initially came English PhD programs at prestigious Jodha-Sirkisoon professors and classmates were all very here to study with a fabulous American universities. (Frances chose the CUNY Sandra Jodha- helpful and encouraging.” Sociology pro- clarinetist, Charles Neidich,” says Roll, Graduate Center and Sharon Picked Sirkisoon’s life fessor Nicholas Alexiou “reassured me the son of two concert pianists. “I’d done UCLA.) And each recently had a paper path has taken that I will do just fine.” a couple of small school shows in the accepted by the National Conference her from a He was right. The Sociology United Kingdom, but up until a few years on Undergraduate village on Department recognized her academic ago, it was clear I was going to be a musi- Research—for the island of achievements at graduation with the cian.” the second Trinidad that Seiler Memorial Award. He reconsidered that plan after Drama year in a row. had no running Sandra plans to earn a master’s degree Chair Charles Repole urged him to They presented water or elec- in education at Queens College. explore the stage. “Max was in the hall- their papers tricity to graduat- way, talking in his British accent,” recalls at this year’s ing from Queens Max Roll Repole.