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LEGISLATIVE SPECIAL EDITION

“O pen the doors to all— let the children of the rich and the poor take their seats together and know of no distinction save that of cuny.edu/news THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK • FOUNDED 1847 AS THE FREE ACADEMY industry, good conduct, and intellect.” Townsend Harris, Founder

SPRING 2009 Inside PAGE CUNY’s 7 Decade of Science From nanotechnology to environmental sensing, here’s a look at groundbreaking research by some of CUNY’s cutting-edge scientists.

Creating Jobs, Opportunity: University PAGE Building for projects like the 3-story, 11 New York’s Future 600,000- BMCC’s 9/11-damaged square-foot Fiterman Hall in Lower Manhattan vertical will be replaced and in East campus at Harlem, a new home will be built John Jay for Hunter’s School of Social Work College of and a new School of Public Health. Criminal Justice are creating thousands of jobs for New York.

PAGE Rx for More Nurses Workforce Development Now! 12 The university finds innovative ways to keep the caring profession off the critical list. N A FRIGID DAY in January as the educate and train a 21st-century workforce eries unfolding in our labs, to the ongoing reality of vanishing jobs was setting in, during a recession. economic stimulus provided by CUNY stu- Oa New York City Council committee From its historic and continuing role as dents, faculty, staff and graduates who convened a hearing on a timely, if urgent, educator of immigrant and low- and moder- study, work, live, buy and pay taxes here,” subject: workforce development. First up to ate-income New Yorkers, to its resurgence said Chancellor Matthew Goldstein. testify were four CUNY educators, and no as an institution that attracts renowned “New Yorkers know that CUNY repre- PAGE wonder: New Yorkers turn to CUNY’s vast researchers and high-achieving students, to sents educational value, and in a challenging Putting Student network of continuing education programs its leadership in mobilizing needed support economy, there is increased demand for our 13 Award Winners when they seek new skills, credentials and for public higher education, CUNY is criti- programs and services,” Chancellor added. On the Fast Track careers, and demand is on the rise. cal to New York’s economic life. “We are providing the highly educated and CUNY steps up efforts to promote The City University of New York regis- “CUNY is one of the state’s most power- skilled workforce our City, State and nation talented students for top awards tered 270,000 continuing education stu- ful economic development engines, from needs to remain competitive.” and scholarships — students like dents last year, and with courses, certificates the high-quality, affordable college educa- CUNY recently responded to the eco- Andrew Santiago, who is reaching and degrees offered throughout the tion we provide, to the cutting-edge discov- nomic downturn with new innovations by beyond his troubled past with the University in reaching out to help of the Kaplan Educational everything from basic financially ailing Foundation. skills prep to asbestos New Yorkers. In abatement to nursing, Students Benefit From Stimulus December, the teaching, and “green” University part- UNY will receive larger Pell and work-study grants, and funds for shovel- technologies, the ready construction projects, as part of the stimulus package signed by nered with the city University is poised to CPresident Obama. Department of play a critical role in Consumer Affairs “We’re pleased that some of that money is going to be coming to New York PAGE re-shaping New York’s State and will benefit SUNY and CUNY,” Chancellor Matthew Goldstein told the and the New York The Futurist Prof. Michio Kaku explores time current and future Feb. 21 Board of Trustees meeting. Specific allocations were being decided in talks Daily News for a 14 travel, invisibility and other not workforce. with the state Division of the Budget and the Legislature. week-long public necessarily unreal phenomena in But CUNY service call-in, the Iris Weinshall, vice chancellor for facilities planning, construction and manage- his recent book, Physics of the strengthens the econo- ment, told the Trustees that Gov. David Paterson wanted to see infrastructure "Your Money Help Impossible. my in ways that far projects that met federal criteria that the funds be used within 120 days and meet Line," staffed by exceed even the chal- “green” standards. “We’re ready with our projects,” she said. 550 CUNY lenge of helping to Continued on next page ® CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:51 PM Page 2

THECHANCELLOR’SDESK CUNY Gears Up From Student Success to Job Tr Continued from previous page students last year. CUNY’s College Now For New Challenges volunteers manning 48 phone lines from 9 enrolls more than 47,000 New York City high school students in college prep classes. HIS HAS BEEN a difficult year in the CUNY a.m. to 7 p.m. In five days, the call-in field- • CUNY plays a critical role in the educa- our country, our state and at Compact has ed thousands of questions from New tion of people of color in New York City. TCUNY. More than ever, economic called for a Yorkers struggling with debt, credit and conditions require that all of us work tuition policy investment woes. Last year, African Americans and Latinos together to protect the most vulnerable that seeks to The University has assisted thousands of were awarded 50 percent of associate and to enable New York State to recover keep increases at New Yorkers and their families in navigat- degrees, 46 percent of baccalaureate and ultimately invest in its future. As a a modest level. ing economic difficulties through other degrees and 28 percent of master’s degrees key generator of workforce and economic The Executive CUNY-Daily News phone banks staffed by conferred by CUNY. development and the producer of a highly Budget proposes a $20-million University- CUNY experts: the popular, annual “For low- and middle-income New educated citizenry, the University has a wide reduction to our senior colleges in Citizenship Now! immigration help line Yorkers, CUNY has been, and will continue pivotal role to play in recovery efforts. non-core activities and a reduction in and the Your Money Financial Aid Hotline. to be, the higher education vehicle of CUNY is experiencing unprecedented community-college base aid per FTE by choice for reaching and staying in the mid- demand as New Yorkers look to gain new $270 for the current year that would con- Such efforts help students overcome finan- dle class,” Chancellor Goldstein said. skills and reshape careers. Our enrollment tinue into FY2009-10. For CUNY, this cial obstacles to entering CUNY, complet- With many New York employers and is at its highest level since 1975, a 4.8 per- equates to about $4 million in the current ing their education, and improving their cent increase over last year. There are sig- year and $18 million in 2009-10. economic status, fulfilling the University’s workers in financial difficulty, CUNY’s nificant increases in the number of new Particularly in times of financial mission to provide diverse New Yorkers – wide-ranging continuing education pro- freshmen accepted for Spring 2009, and in distress, New Yorkers turn to our commu- many with heavy work and family obliga- grams, serving students with varying educa- the number of Fall 2009 applications. nity colleges for academic, professional- tions — access to a quality education and tional and socioeconomic backgrounds are These increases include more and more development and job-training opportuni- the skills for success. in increased demand. Last year, 180,000 of high-achieving students. The Macaulay ties. CUNY’s six community colleges — the 270,000 student registrations in these Honors College had its largest number of now serving more than 81,000 students, Middle-class ladder programs were for vocational and basic applicants ever for its class of 2012; those an increase of more than 6 percent since The earning power students gain by skills preparation. admitted have average SAT scores of last year — offer high-quality learning attending CUNY has long played a stabiliz- CUNY has responded to the nation’s almost 1400. This fall, Macaulay student opportunities to meet a wide range of ing role in the city’s economy and has been acute nursing shortage by nearly doubling David Bauer of City College was one of needs. Their capacity will be severely test- a significant factor in building the city’s the number of graduates of its programs in 32 Americans awarded a 2009 Rhodes ed in the coming year. Scholarship – CUNY’s third Rhodes in Many CUNY campuses are in disrepair middle class. five years. Last year, the National Licensing five years. The 2009 Princeton Review list and need modernization. Last year, fund- The numbers are telling. Four-fifths of all Exam pass rate for CUNY nursing gradu- of the 100 “Best Value” colleges ranked ing was provided for critical-maintenance students attending two-year colleges in New ates was 86.5 percent compared with an Hunter College No. 8 among U.S. public projects at our senior and community col- York City, and just less than one half of all NCLEX pass rate of 82.1 percent for grad- institutions. Baruch, Brooklyn and Queens leges, and this year the Executive Budget baccalaureate students here, attend CUNY uates of non-CUNY nursing programs in Colleges were among the top 50. recommends another critical-maintenance schools. From 1999-2008, University-wide New York. The average annual income of Just as our students need the skills and allocation. We appreciate this recognition enrollment soared by 25 percent. 1997-2007 CUNY graduates working as credentials that a CUNY education offers, of our needs. However, several important Individuals who earn college degrees are licensed RNs is $73,747. And more than so, too, does the state need the talent and projects at CUNY colleges across the five more likely to be employed and to enjoy 90% of those who earned their first nursing energy our graduates add to New York’s boroughs were not included in the budg- higher earnings. With 9,553 Associate degree from CUNY’s programs during the workforce. A growing student body et, from science facilities to student and degrees conferred in 2006, and each degree last decade, and then became RNs, are cur- requires strong public support. For exam- classroom centers. As enrollment grows, ple, we must continue to build our full- these projects take on special urgency. adding an estimated $6,804 more in earn- rently working in nursing, 80% of them in time faculty. The last time CUNY’s Federal investment in public higher ing power, CUNY added $64.9 million to hospitals. enrollment was this high, in 1975, we education is also critical, and Governor those graduates’ earnings, according to the Educating for tomorrow employed more than 11,000 full-time Paterson included higher-education proj- University’s Office of Institutional Research faculty. Today, we employ 6,700. ects in his request to President Obama for and Assessment. The New York City College of The University’s 2009-10 budget infrastructure investment in the state. Baccalaureate degrees add another Technology has been investing in new, com- request focuses on providing the full-time With New York City’s comptroller esti- $15,588 to earnings; therefore, the 15,484 puter-driven manufacturing technology so faculty and programs students need, facili- mating city private-sector job losses bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2006 added it can provide viable training for future ties that encourage their best work and around 165,000 over the next two years, $241.4 million to CUNY graduates’ earn- employees of metropolitan area manufac- information management systems that funding support of CUNY’s capital pro- ings. And with more than 650,000 graduates turing companies — a field considered to streamline their progress. Our request was gram is a potent way to foster economic since 1978-79, CUNY contributed nearly have significant growth potential. based on the CUNY Compact model of recovery. Queensborough Community College is financing, a partnership of not only state In its stimulus request to the governor, $13.6 billion more in annual earnings in providing “re-tooling” and career evaluation and local governments but also the the University included projects that 2008 to New York City residents than if University, CUNY’s friends and donors reflect our capital priorities: critical main- they had only graduated from high school. seminars and counseling for laid-off mid- and CUNY students. tenance and our Decade of Science initia- Figures compiled by CUNY illustrate and senior-level corporate employees trying The State Executive Budget tive. These projects, many of which incor- the virtual step-by-step ladder to the mid- to re-focus, and develop new careers. recommends $1.9 billion for CUNY’s sen- porate green standards, total over $2.2 dle class that CUNY continues to offer. CUNY colleges are partnering with local ior colleges, reflecting a decrease of state billion and would create nearly 14,000 • Fifty-three percent of CUNY’s first-time unions to build and sharpen New Yorkers’ support of almost $65 million, offset by construction and off-site jobs. freshmen qualify for federal Pell grants for skills in areas ranging from GED and ESL more than $115 million from additional In these challenging times, higher educa- low-income students, 30 percent of under- to computers. Hostos Community College tuition and fee revenue. This revenue is tion is key to our country’s growth and well- graduates live in households with income of has been offering members of the 32 BJ based on tuition rate increases of 15 per- being. In partnership with city, state and less than $15,000, and the majority, 62 per- Union classes that could make them eligible cent, or $300 per semester, for resident federal governments, the University is com- for wage upgrades, such as plumbing, car- full-time undergraduate students and 20 mitted to building the facilities, faculty and cent, are in households earning less than pentry and refrigeration. With healthcare percent for graduate students. programs that will give the next generation $35,000. For the first time in state history, the the tools to sustain our state’s vibrancy. • Approximately 35,000 degrees per year Local 1199, Hostos has offered Bridge to budget calls for 20 percent of the tuition are earned through nearly 1,400 degree pro- Nursing programs, and last summer gradu- revenue increase to be retained by CUNY grams. More than 1.1 million degrees have ated its first 1199 cohort of LPNs. And for investment in core activities, increas- been conferred by CUNY since 1966-67. New York City College of Technology, ing to 50 percent as the state economy • CUNY’s vast array of non-degree, voca- LaGuardia Community College and improves. This is an important step, which tional and skill development programs Kingsborough Community College have moves toward the investment called for enrolled 270,000 continuing education been partnering with the Union of by the compact model. At the same time, Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor Carpenters and Joiners to work with young people aged 18 to 24, to train for construc- tion apprenticeships. The participants, BOARDOFTRUSTEES largely Latino and African-American, have The City University of New York Prepared by been placed in union apprenticeships and The City University hired by Con Edison and other companies. Benno C. Schmidt Jr. Philip A. Berry Matthew Goldstein of New York Chairperson Vice Chairperson Chancellor Some 35,000 continuing education stu- Jay Hershenson Office of University Relations dents per year receive instruction and train- Valerie L. Beal Kathleen M. Pesile Secretary of the Board of Trustees 535 E. 80th St. ing through LaGuardia’s Division of Adult Wellington Z. Chen Carol Robles-Román and Senior Vice-Chancellor for University Relations New York, NY 10021 and Continuing Education, the largest con- Rita DiMartino Marc V. Shaw Michael Arena University Director for Communications and Marketing (212) 794-5317 tinuing education program at a public college Freida Foster-Tolbert Charles A. Shorter Rich Sheinaus Graphic Design Director in New York City. The division is funded by Joseph J. Lhota Solomon A. Sutton Ron Howell, Neill Rosenfeld, Ruth Landa Published by more than 40 public and private grants, con- Hugo M. Morales Jeffrey Wiesenfeld Writers The Legislative Gazette tracts with local employers, student tuition Miriam Smith Issue Designer Peter Pantaleo PO Box 7329 and tax levy funds, and targets its services — André Beckles Photographer providing educational, vocational, language Albany, NY 12225 and “life” skills — to current workers, new Articles in this and previous issues are available at cuny.edu/news. Simone Lamont Manfred Philipp 518-473-9739 work force entrants, low-income New Chairperson, Chairperson, Letters or suggestions for future stories may be sent to the Editor by email to [email protected]. Changes of address www.legislativegazette.com Yorkers, out-of-school and incarcerated University Student Senate University Faculty Senate should be made through your campus personnel office. youth, and existing and start-up businesses.

2 CUNY MATTERS — Spring 2009 CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:51 PM Page 3 ob Training to Research, CUNY Generates New York $$$

On the Rhodes Again! CUNY's 2009 Rhodes Scholar David L.V. Bauer (left) of the Macaulay Honors College, celebrates with Eugene Shenderov (center), a Brooklyn College alumnus, and Lev Sviridov, a City College alumnus, both winners of the Rhodes Scholarship in 2005.

At the City Council Higher Education the City College campus, and other science developing new, durable, non-toxic, metal- solution. The letter asked that stimulus Committee’s hearing in December, buildings around CUNY, is expected to cre- free antimicrobial compositions that guard money be allocated to states for shovel-ready, LaGuardia’s dean for workforce programs, ate thousands of construction jobs. But what against bacteria and other threats, and can higher-education infrastructure projects, to Sandra Watson, illustrated the business goes on inside CUNY’s labs — from med- be embedded in products such as building upgrade campuses to educate Americans for development assistance CUNY provides. ical discoveries to energy innovations — also materials, clothing, paints and packaging. the 21st century, and to create construction “Marie L.” and “Dominique” had dreamed of has economic implications. and other jobs to shore up the economy. opening a day care center, Watson said, but For every $1 million spent on research in CUNY and the national economy CUNY’s $1 billion in planned construc- as the financial crisis was rapidly unfolding, New York State, an estimated 12 new jobs Chancellor Goldstein’s longtime concern tion, slated for much-need science labs, criti- getting start-up financing was difficult are created, according to the 2007 report of about funding and other challenges faced by cal maintenance and other building projects despite their strong credentials. The the New York State Higher Education CUNY and other public universities — such — such as the 13-story, 600,000 square-foot LaGuardia Small Business Development Commission. Then there is the research as competition from well-endowed private building rising at John Jay College of Criminal program helped them rework their business itself, generating important advances in institutions for highly qualified faculty and Justice — could create nearly 14,000 con- plan, find a lender and deal with the appli- health and medicine, and energy and sus- funds — sparked discussions last year with struction and off-site jobs, according to Iris cation process, and they were approved for tainability. the Carnegie Corp. and the heads of other Weinshall, Vice Chancellor for Facilities a $120,000 loan in November. They expect At City College, electrical engineering large U.S. public university systems, leading Planning, Construction, and Management. to open Little Children’s Garden Inc. in Prof. David Crouse, director of the CUNY to a “Summit on Public Higher Education” With private development waning because Flushing, this spring. Center for Advanced Technology in in New York last October co-hosted by the of the economic meltdown, public projects LaGuardia, working with government, Photonics Applications (CUNY CAT), is Chancellor and Carnegie Corporation “will retain many of the construction jobs we business, community organizations and involved in the emerging field of metamate- President Vartan Gregorian. have learned to depend upon during the last other groups, “is a major partner in New rials, used to develop electrical contacts that The Carnegie Corporation in December 10 years of the building boom,” Weinshall said. York City’s workforce development system will increase the efficiency of silicon solar published “The Higher Education Investment The mandate to prepare students for the and is poised to have a greater impact on cells without increasing their manufacturing Act: An Open Letter to President-elect jobs of the future is at the heart of the the system in the coming years,” Watson or operating costs. Obama and His Administration,” in The New Chancellor’s proposal for an innovative, new told the Council. Dr. Sanjoy Banerjee, distinguished profes- York Times. Signed by the presidents, chancel- community college in Manhattan, one that Investment in CUNY has been essential to sor of chemical engineering at CCNY and lors and board presidents of 33 state universi- would require full-time enrollment, focus the University’s rising reputation for academic director of the CUNY Energy Institute (and ty systems, it emphasized the essential role of on math and literacy, and limit majors to excellence and cutting-edge research. The formerly of The University of California sys- public higher education in tough times, and fields that have a future, such as health care University, by pioneering the CUNY tem), is studying ways to efficiently store committed the universities to be part of the and environmental technology. Compact model of financing the system and transport elec- through a partnership based on government tricity from renew- support, private giving, student tuition and able sources such as CUNY institutional efficiencies – has made sun and wind, for itself a more powerful economic development potential use in engine. And that has attracted critical invest- largely electric, ment — from National Science Foundation energy-efficient For low- and middle- grants to CUNY students to private donations transportation. “ that have supported creation of high-end In cancer income New Yorkers, CUNY CUNY institutions and programs. research, award- has been, and will continue Such successes are drawing increasing winning Dr. Jill numbers of high-achieving students, as well Bargonetti-Chavarria to be, the higher education as cutting-edge researchers, to the of Hunter College vehicle of choice for University. Chancellor Goldstein’s Decade has focused her reaching and staying in the of Science initiative is strengthening the investigations on the University’s science programs, and CUNY p53 protein, which middle class. has expanded Ph.D.-granting authority in assists in the sup- the sciences to two senior colleges, to make pression of tumor ” — Chancellor the University more competitive in the cell growth. Matthew Goldstein quest for research funding. Queens College CUNY’s national reputation as a research biochemistry and hub is growing. The planned construction of chemistry Prof. the Advanced Science Research Center on Robert Engel is

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Foundations, Donors Invest in CUNY S MORE CUNY STUDENTS win One of the many foundations that has Bronx, he won a national student science three Bronx colleges (Lehman College and highly competitive academic supported CUNY students is the Jack Kent competition for researching strains of rice Bronx and Hostos Community Colleges); Aawards, many recent graduates are Cooke Foundation, which assists that absorb heavy metals — a potential preference goes to Bronx residents. beginning to build on the generosity of exceptional students with difficult financial boon to countries like his native Ghana, Karmon, who died in October 2008, past donors and philanthropists. circumstances. Since 2002, five CUNY where mining pollutes drinking water. graduated from New York University in “There is a continuing commitment that students have won its coveted scholarships, But it isn’t just foundations that are 1932 at the height of the Great increasing numbers of our alumni and donors and one of them, Yeshey Pelzom, an supporting study by CUNY students. Depression. His clothing store lasted and community leaders have to the success undergraduate recipient, recently received Alumni are helping as well. decades, and he made custom suits for of the University,” Chancellor Matthew the award for graduate study. The Take the Honors College, where a group judges, politicians and such Bronx residents Goldstein said. “And the support that our scholarships provide up to of graduates has launched a as saxophonist Benny Carter and former students receive from government and $60,000 for undergraduate fund-raising effort targeted Secretary of State Colin Powell. As the foundations underlines the quality of study and as much as at fellow alumni. Some of neighborhood became increasingly black, education that our talented students receive.” $300,000 for graduate work. There is a the drive’s leaders have gone he was an advocate for African-Americans As a political refugee “ into the financial world, and was active in many organizations that from Bhutan, Pelzom, 36, continuing commitment including George Cermák assisted minorities. STUDENTHONORS spent 10 years in Nepal that increasing numbers (Baruch 2005) of Taconic One scholarship recipient Karmon before coming to the United Capital Advisors and Ryan helped is Danyell Rodriguez, an early Thunderstorm Studies States in 2000. She won her of our alumni and donors Meltzer (Baruch 2007) of childhood education major at Bronx Cooke transfer scholarship Lehman Brothers. Others are Community College who expects to AGUARDIA CC student Ernesto when she was a student at and community leaders pursuing further study, like graduate in 2009. “I am the first person in Rivera was the only community L LaGuardia Community Sophie Muller (Lehman my family to go to college. Education was college representative among 10 have to the success of College, which she used to 2007), a Ph.D. candidate in always a priority in my house because my CUNY students selected to partici- earn a bachelor’s degree the University. history at the CUNY mother wanted me to have a successful pate in a major faculty-supervised with honors at Agnes Scott Graduate Center, and future.,” she said. student research project funded by a College in Atlanta. ” Reshma Shah (City College, Another Karmon beneficiary is music $459,000 National Science Her biggest challenge so far has been 2008), a student at St. John’s Law School. major Yesenia Ortiz, who expects to Foundation grant. The 25-year-old culturally balancing her roles as a student, They are following the lead of William graduate from Lehman in 2009 and liberal arts/math and science major wife and mother. “Although my thoughts Macaulay (City College 1966) and his wife, intends to pursue a doctorate, teach, and has teamed up with Obehi Ukpebor, are no longer limited to what I should cook Linda, who donated $30 million to buy and direct and write musicals. She taught a student from York College, and for the next meal or if my husband and son transform a century-old dance, voice and drama for Professor Brian Vant Hall of CCNY, have clean socks, many times I find myself Manhattan townhouse 10 years before enrolling at to study and research remote sensing having to overcome the social stigma of into a home for the Hostos, where she earned as it applies to thunderstorm now- being a married woman going to college. CUNY Honors College, her associate degree. casting, which is the prediction of They are following Being a student of English literature does which draws students Several CUNY alumni storms within a short time before “ not help.” from seven campuses. the lead of William have won National Science their occurrence. Undaunted, Yeshey has found English Chancellor Goldstein had Foundation grants for Psychology Award literature to be not only liberating but also started the college, now Macaulay (City College graduate study. empowering. “I have succeeded in making the Macaulay Honors Mathematician Joseph Hirsh ARAH KOPELOVICH, a sec- 1966) and his wife, Linda, myself a role model to my fellow College at CUNY, to (Queens and CUNY Honors ond-year graduate student in the S immigrants, and I have become the first attract gifted students Colleges, 2008) is pursuing CUNY Doctoral Program in Forensic who donated $30 million woman in my community to go to college.” who were choosing elite a doctorate at the CUNY Psychology at John Jay College of Although Yeshey has not decided where private schools over to buy and transform a Graduate Center where, as Criminal Justice, has won the presti- she will attend graduate school, she CUNY. The initiative an undergraduate, he took gious American Psychological century-old Manhattan eventually plans to become a professor and worked; for this fall’s 10 courses. He won the Association National Convention an advocate for human rights. Yeshey is also entering class, 3,829 top- Queens Math Department’s Research Award. She was honored townhouse into a home for a recipient of a Phi Theta Kappa notch students sought Thomas Budne Memorial for her research project that deals scholarship, the Janef Newman Preston 360 spots. the CUNY Honors College, Award for the highest- with the hazards of overdependence Prize for Fiction, and the George Groman “I think it’s necessary achieving junior. on voice identification testimony, the which draws students from Award for Analytical Writing. for people to give back to Mitsy Chanel-Blot parameters of the cross race effect in Another recent Cooke foundation the degree that they can,” (Hunter 2007) is visual identification, and that seven campuses. recipient is Kojo Wallace, a 2008 Bronx said Macaulay, who grew pursuing a doctorate in social cautions against the haphazard use of Community College valedictorian who is up with limited finances ” anthropology in the African multiple independent identifiers. pursuing a bachelor’s in biochemistry at in the Bronx and fashioned First Reserve Diaspora Studies program at the University CSI At Film Festival Cornell University and intends to become a into the nation’s largest energy-only private of Texas at Austin. This second-generation physician. Working with associate equity fund. “This is a state institution, WO GRADUATE STUDENTS Haitian immigrant (her mother also professor Charles Maliti at but the state doesn’t provide for in the College of Staten Island’s graduated from Hunter) found that Haitian T everything.” Master’s program in Cinema and immigrants in Paris do not seem to identify And then there are public-spirited Media Studies were selected to take as a homeland group as they do in the philanthropists who are not alumni. part in the 56th annual San Sebastián United States, and she is exploring why. Take Elias Karmon, known as International Film Festival in San And with his NSF grant, Yisa Rumala “Dr. Bronx.” He endowed the Sebastián, Spain last September as (York 2006) is pursuing a doctorate in Bronx CUNY Scholarship part of the festival’s International applied physics at the University of Fund, which supports Film School. Norie Taniguchi Michigan, which awarded him a Rackham financially needy screened her film, “Women without Science Award (covering stipend, tuition students at the Voices,” while Kristie Falco was part and fees). A New York native, he spent of the jury for the student section of most of his childhood in Nigeria, where he the festival. CSI was one of only 14 lived with relatives. As a McNair institutions worldwide chosen to par- Scholar at York, he spent much of ticipate in the 2008 International his senior year conducting Film School. experiments under the aegis of assistant professor Vanguard Tech Award Gregory Boutis. EHMAN COLLEGE senior LBlanca Cambi is one of only nine students nationwide to receive Vanguard’s 2008 Women in Information Technology Scholarship Award. Cambi is participating in the IBM-Lehman College Internship Program at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, N.Y. and plans further study in manage- ment information systems. She received $8,000 to cover tuition, books and supplies from Vanguard, which awards merit-based scholar- ships to female college seniors.

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NOTED"ED

Medical historian Nancy G. Siraisi will use the $500,000 award to pursue research. Hunter Professor Emerita A MacArthur ‘Genius’

ORE THAN four decades ago, Mwhen Nancy G. Siraisi had two small children and an entry-level job editing encyclopedias, she made a deci- sion that changed her life. “I’m from England, and I had a degree from an English University, and I had no intention to pursue other degrees,” said Siraisi, Hunter College’s distinguished professor emerita of his- PORTRAITS OF ANTARCTICA: Whipped by 70-mph winds, dwarfed by glaciers, surrounded by whales, seals and penguins, Scott Sternbach was in tory. “I found it difficult to work full- heaven. Palmer Research Station, a remote Antarctic base, is open only to scientists and the occasional artist, like him. With his 100-year-old time. I wanted to shift to teaching, and 8x10 view camera, Sternbach, director of LaGuardia Community College’s photography department, spent 2½ months making black-and-white I needed graduate courses.” portraits of Palmer’s scientists and crew, plus digital color landscapes, under a prestigious National Science Foundation grant. To see more of his She enrolled in a history course at Antarctica images, go to www.scottsternbach.com. Hunter College. Her instructor was pro- fessor Pearl Kibre, a scholar in medieval Inside Look at NYC Criminal Justice studies. “She saw that I knew a little TUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS will Hershenson, Other Leaders Honored Latin, and she immediately told me get an insider’s look into New York ENIOR VICE-CHANCELLOR for University Relations Jay Hershenson has that I must enroll in a Ph.D. program,” S City’s criminal received the 2008 Marvin D. “Swede” Johnson Achievement Award for leadership Siraisi said. “She was a woman of great S justice system in higher-education state relations. The award, presented in San Diego Dec. 11 by four force of character, and I did so. I have via an ongoing higher-education organizations, recognizes Hershenson’s achievements in advocating never regretted it.” oral history proj- for CUNY to state government officials. For “enhancing the lives of others” through Kibre was right: Siraisi, a historian ect conducted her leadership of Hunter College’s programs for the aging, Hunter President Jennifer of late Medieval and Renaissance medi- by John Jay Raab won the Carter Burden Center for the Aging’s Humanitarian Award for cine, is one of 25 recipients of the 2008 College of Outstanding Service to Older New Yorkers, on John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Criminal Justice Dec. 1. The 2008 Annual Latino Heritage and Foundation’s prestigious “genius and funded by Culture Award went to Borough of Manhattan awards” that are presented annually to the Lynn and Community College President Antonio Perez and individuals for creativity and contribu- Jules Kroll four others honored by city Comptroller William tions to their fields. “Professor Kibre Bronx District Attorney Foundation. C. Thompson Jr. at his annual Latino heritage was a historian of considerable emi- Robert T. Johnson Bronx District celebration Oct. 28. College of Staten Island nence, and what helped me was her Attorney Robert T. Johnson; 1990s’ police President Tomas D. Morales won a Latino encouragement,” Siraisi said. “The corruption investigator Milton Mollen; and Trendsetter Award at a Nov. 10 gala. The Graduate Center also gave me practical former Manhattan Sex Crimes Unit prose- Defining Trends Media Group’s awards honor help that I can’t imagine I could have cutor Linda Fairstein are among those Latino leaders who define “trends that influence gotten anywhere else.” already interviewed. Tapes and transcripts both the Hispanic and non-Hispanic culture.” Siraisi and her husband were of will be available in the college’s Sealy Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay College of “very modest means,” so the Herbert Library. Criminal Justice, has been named co-chair of the H. Lehman Fellowship she received newly established New York State Juvenile made it possible for her to continue Tune In to Talks on First Atom Bomb Hershenson accepts Johnson Achieve- Justice Task Force, mandated by Gov. David her studies. She earned a doctorate in HE GRADUATE CENTER this fall ment Award from Frances Bradford. Paterson to transform the juvenile justice system. history from The Graduate Center in hosted five symposia about the science, 1970 and for more than three decades T people and ethics of America’s drive to taught history at Hunter and The develop the first atom bomb, an effort that about the science and scientists behind the been an active Graduate Center. “I can’t remember — with the incineration of the Japanese project. Other sessions focused on the mak- advocate for how much the fellowship was, but it cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — has- ing of the opera; Oppenheimer; the people, international was the same or slightly higher than tened the end of World War II. The discus- places and power of the Manhattan Project; students’ rights what I was making in my editing job, sions surrounded the Metropolitan Opera and wartime decisions and the atomic age. on her campus. plus the University was tuition-free at debut of “Doctor Atomic,” composer John Watch segments on the University Channel While serving that time,” she says. “I really do owe my Adams’ provoca- at www.youtube.com/cuny. as the president entire academic career to CUNY.” tive work about of the York At 76, Siraisi plans to continue her J. Robert Simone Lamont Leads Student Senate College research. “I have several projects, but I Oppenheimer, IMONE LAMONT, a York College Student also see it as a validation of the work the physicist student pursuing a B.S. in mathematics, Government I’ve done already.” The $500,000 S who managed has been elected the 24th chairperson of Association, award, which is given out in $100,000 the scientific the University Student Senate. she lobbied for Simone Lamont increments annually, will go a long way drive to build the She has devoted the past three years to an office space toward furthering her research. “It will bomb. representing the needs of CUNY students, for dealing with international students’ make it easy to travel to European Chancellor including as vice chair of senior college interests. She also has been alumni liaison libraries and easy to get requests of Matthew affairs, working to develop a forum for for student government. scans and films of manuscripts, which Goldstein mod- ideas and communal action plans among She hopes to become an educator, and can be quite costly,” she said. erated the inau- campuses. believes that higher education should be “Doctor Atomic” gural session As an international student, Lamont has accessible and affordable to all.

CUNY MATTERS — Spring 2009 5 CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:51 PM Page 6

Look Who’s in CUNY! THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION’S highly competitive Graduate Research Fellowships support exceptional students whose cutting-edge research shows clear evidence of contributing to important scholarly knowledge in their fields. Outstanding CUNY winners include, from left, Yisa Rumala, York College 2006, University of Michigan 2012, M.S. Electrical Engineering, Ph.D. in Applied Physics; Joseph Hirsh, Macaulay Honors College at CUNY 2008, CUNY Graduate Center 2012, Ph.D. in Mathematics; Mitsy Chanel-Blot, Macaulay Honors College at CUNY 2008, University of Texas 2012, M.A.-Ph.D. in Social Anthropology.

he National Science Foundation and far-sighted private foundations “T know the value of quality public higher education. They are financing schools and programs, supporting scholarly research by world-class faculty, and endowing student scholarships at every college of The City University of New York. They are answering CUNY’s call for a Compact for Public Higher Education that unites all stakeholders — government, donors, students and the University itself—to ensure that our city, state and nation will continue to have well-educated leaders. They are investing in CUNY, investing in New York, and investing in futures.” — Chancellor Matthew Goldstein www.cuny.edu/investing 1-800-CUNY-YES CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:51 PM Page 7

LEGISLATORS CUNY GOES TO ALBANY SCIENCE 2009 A Glimpse MicroscopeTHROUGH THE Here’s a look at groundbreaking research by some CUNY scientists — and their revolutionary discoveries.

By Neill S. Rosenfeld “I'm looking for ideas about HAT DO chronic water water that no single person could have thought about,” shortages mean in a volatile said Charles Vörösmarty, who will direct the ASRC and nuclearized region like W environmental sensing lab. South Asia? Or in our country when farmers, industry and city dwellers argue over finite water supplies?

These are some of the questions that drive Charles Vörösmarty and his research team to study the state and trajectory of freshwater resources. Hydrology, the study of water in the environment, “is no longer about small units of landscape called watersheds,” he said. “It’s now focused on big, strategic issues, and often those are dictated by humans attempting to control water supplies. We’ve got to be talking about the Northeast Corridor; the U.S. national water policy in light of climate change; and the over- use of water as you’re growing biofuels while trying to feed a hungry world or when water scarcity invokes national security issues.” Vörösmarty is the first of what will be five nationally known directors whom CUNY is recruiting to run the laboratories at the Advanced Science Research Center, the key- stone of CUNY’s Decade of Science (2005- 2015). The $300-million, 200,000-square-foot center on the grounds of City College is slated to open in 2012. It will provide $50 million worth of sophisticated equipment to researchers from across the University while becoming a City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering in State University; Columbia University; Hampton University; crossroads for scientific creativity. September. He brought a hydrology team that includes the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the “I’m looking for ideas about water that no single person about a half-dozen postdoctoral researchers and administra- University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. could have thought about,” said Vörösmarty, who will direct tive staff from New Hampshire. Plans are to hire three facul- “I’m amazed at the strength here at CUNY, but that the laboratory of water and environmental sensing, a field ty members who will teach and conduct research with him. strength sits on many different campuses,” Vörösmarty said. that uses computer analysis and instruments ranging from His team develops computer models and geospatial data “Our intent is to use ASRC as a magnet to draw these oth- satellites to ocean buoys to collect data for earth, atmos- sets to analyze the interaction of the water cycle with cli- erwise disparate students and professors together in an pheric, environmental and marine sciences. mate, biogeochemistry and human activities (including interdisciplinary research framework, in particular in reach- Similar brainstorming is also the goal in the ASRC labs water engineering projects) on scales ranging from local to ing out to our next generation of students.” dedicated to the University’s four other flagship areas of sci- global. “We have to study the policy of water, the economics He sees the ASRC lab as “an incubation vessel for ideas, ence: nanotechnology, neuroscience, photonics and structural of water and how humans are managing or mismanaging for the gee-whiz stuff that we can turn on its ear and apply biology. CUNY researchers in those fields are already laying this resource,” he said. to the environment.” the groundwork to stop the spread of cancer, halt or even Although the United States has yet to adopt a national Here is a look at some of the other scientists working in reverse degenerative nerve diseases, produce clearer mam- approach to managing carbon and climate change, each of the University’s five flagship areas of science. mograms and miniaturize electronics via biological processes. Vörösmarty believes in “regional ecomanagement, and the Chancellor Matthew Goldstein launched the Decade of only way to do that coherently is to take a multistate per- ENVIRONMENTAL SENSING Science to help position CUNY as a premier research institu- spective and make water a part of the dialogue.” The collection of data about the atmosphere, earth and tion. The plan includes more than $1 billion for science facili- His viewpoint is broader still. He has consulted for the living creatures, often via remote devices. ties on eight campuses; “cluster hires” of more than 80 faculty 24-agency UN World Water Assessment Programme and OR THE PUBLIC, the most familiar environmental members so far in science, technology, engineering and math; represented the International Council of Scientific Unions Fsensing is visible, from pictures of melting glaciers to TV restructuring Ph.D. programs in the sciences and engineering; at the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. “I’ve graphics of howling hurricanes. But it’s the invisible — boosting financial aid for doctoral students; and training more opened a dialogue with the U.N. on how to better manage what’s in the air — that interests Fred Moshary, a professor teachers of middle- and high-school science and math. water in the 21st century. Our CUNY initiative is perfectly at City College’s Grove School of Engineering. Vice Chancellor for Research Gillian Small, who has over- poised, because of our location, to be a central force in that “On the health side, the main thing we’re looking for is seen the ASRC project almost from the start, said CUNY was dialogue.” pollution,” he said. “On the environment side, aerosols [liq- thrilled to have recruited Vörösmarty from the University of He looks forward to working with the many CUNY pro- uid or solid particles] figure into global warming because New Hampshire’s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, fessors who study environmental issues, including “the pow- they represent a cooling, not a warming, effect. When and Space, where he founded and directed its Water Systems erhouse in remote sensing and geospatial data-set integra- you’re studying global warming, you have to look at the Analysis Group. “Doctor Vörösmarty comes with an interna- tion” that is NOAA-CREST (Cooperative Remote Sensing overall energy balance.” tional reputation for excellence in interdisciplinary environ- Science and Technology Center), a multidisciplinary consor- Curtailing global warming or meeting prospective envi- mental studies,” she said. “He will bring CUNY’s water and tium led by CCNY and sponsored by the National Oceanic ronmental regulations are “difficult, high-stakes issues; deal- environmental sensing initiative to the forefront. We are and Atmospheric Administration. It includes four CUNY ing with them will be disruptive and expensive,” he said. delighted to have him at CUNY and the ASRC.” institutions (CCNY, Lehman College, Bronx Community New York City, for instance, falls short of national ambi- Vörösmarty joined the civil engineering faculty at The College and New York City College of Technology); Bowie ent air quality standards, and it could prove prohibitively

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costly to meet them solely by capping local emissions. “You This approach could overcome a weakness in nanotech- fuel (like hydrogen) in the presence of an have to understand the makeup of pollution, what portion nology today, the difficulty in aligning parts of the tiny oxidant, thereby releasing electrons. Fuel is produced locally and what portion is transported here.” machines. “You can’t pick up a nanoscale device and put the cells were conceived in 1838 and were Gasses from an Ohio smokestack could change chemically wires in the right places, but if you direct this wire to go to first used commercially in the Gemini by the time they arrive here; acid rain is an example. this place and attach itself, then it will do it. It sounds diffi- space program in 1965. But their use as a Sensors can point to polluters upwind that also need to cult, but that’s how humans are made,” he said. nonpolluting alternative to the internal control pollution. Matsui’s team is exploring how to use this technology to combustion engine has stalled because Moshary and his colleagues belong to a consortium, the create sensors that, depending on which antibody is they are inefficient and catalytic metals Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and Environment, attached, would spot a specific virus or bacterium. “You are expensive. funded by the National Science Foundation and industry. could have a simple tabletop diagnostic device that could Nanotechnology that requires far less MIRTHE is developing devices that can detect minute quickly say if you are infected [via an electric signal]. This of the costly metals may be the solution. amounts of chemicals yet are so cheap and easy to use that could be of tremendous value in remote places where you “We use carbon nanotubes as catalyst- they will transform how doctors treat patients, states track don’t have sophisticated instruments,” he said. assist agents or cocatlysts. We coat parti- illegal dumping and Homeland Security monitors against Beyond detection, “we’re trying to make this a diagnostic cles of platinum or palladium onto the biological attack. CCNY focuses on remote gas and aerosol system,” he said. “We are finding that the electric signal nanotubes. This improves efficiency and sensors for deployment in cities, while Johns Hopkins, depends on the strength of the viruses, so the signal level lowers the potential required for the Princeton, Rice and Texas A&M Universities explore related could tell us the strain. That’s what we’re hoping for.” chemistry to occur,” he said. environmental and medical applications, and the University Matsui trained as a physical chemist and stumbled into Akins foresees extending his research of Maryland, Baltimore County, studies advanced laser this research when a graduate student made a mistake in into biofuel cells, which would use natu- materials. synthesizing a known molecule. Back then, Matsui was ral body processes to generate power. Meanwhile, Moshary helps plan the rooftop sensing lab at “interested in how nature assembles a molecule into a cer- Imagine keeping warm in arctic condi- the ASRC. “For astronomers, the atmosphere is a nuisance tain shape.” His student quickly realized that the peptide he tions with a heater powered by blood that they have to look through before they see the stars, but had made was something new, and Matsui discovered that it chemistry. “When you pedal a bicycle, we’re looking at the atmosphere itself,” he said. The CCNY functioned as an electric wire and could absorb biomole- you’re extracting energy; but with a bio- team is designing and building instruments including a vol- cules. That sent him down a different path of research, one fuel cell, instead of having your whole ume-imaging lidar, which emits laser beams that bounce that required him to learn a good deal of biology and bio- system involved in generating energy, back when they strike airborne molecules and particulates. chemistry. you’re using a much smaller part.” Using invisible light, either ultraviolet or near-infrared, it “Before this, almost nobody was thinking about using bio- Since 1988, Akins’ Center for the won’t distract pilots, enabling scientists to point it at many logical molecules for electronics, so we were almost the sole Analysis of Structures and Interfaces has angles to get a three-dimensional picture of air. investigators thinking that crazy way, thinking that the hard- recruited many minority-group members Moshary also is part of NOAA-CREST, the CCNY-based core semiconductor industry could marry with biology. Now and helped them move into doctoral Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology many people have that idea,” Matsui said. work. He also was a leader in creating a Center. “Some of our instrumentation is developed and subdiscipline in nanotechnology in CUNY’s chemistry doc- T’S HARD TO CONCEIVE how small a nanometer is. packaged in-house, from atmospheric sensors used in the toral program. In 2000 he received the Presidential Award Web definitions call it 1/80,000th the diameter of a region to coastal-water-sensing packages that are lowered I for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering human hair or, at 3 nm, imagine it as a three-inch by three- into the water or placed on buoys. All of that is constructed Mentoring from the White House Office of Science and inch Post-It Note seen from halfway across the planet. here by students before our scientists take off into the field,” Technology Policy. Things 1 to 100 nms are inconceivably tiny. Yet scientists he said. like Daniel Akins have made nanomaterials with amazing NEUROSCIENCE abilities. NANOTECHNOLOGY The study of the development, anatomy, functioning and A distinguished service professor of chemistry at City Technology that controls matter at atomic or molecular pathology of the brain and nervous system. College, Akins has patented an inexpensive way of turning a scales of 1 to 100 nm (nanometers or billionths of a meter). carbon source like methane into nanotubes, which are cylin- F YOU CUT A NERVE in the spinal cord, it won’t spon- UMAN BEINGS DEVELOP from almost nothing. A ders of carbon atoms that “have fantastic properties. They’re Itaneously regrow. Paralysis results. Scientists had long Hsingle cell, some programming instructions and, gener- stronger than steel, conduct electricity better than the best thought that scar tissue was to blame, and it certainly does ally speaking, you get a smoothly functioning and complex metal conductors and have chemical properties that allow play a role. machine. Would it be possible, Hiroshi Matsui wondered, to one to attach things to them.” Things like gold nanoparticles Marie Filbin discovered something else: Nerves try to mimic that process by using biological building blocks to that can register minute electric currents, turning nanotubes regenerate but are stopped by a protein in the myelin construct nanoscale electronics? into infinitesimal sensors. sheath that protects them. Then she found that a molecule “We work with peptides and antibodies,” explained the With the right blood-sampling system, such sensors could in every cell can counteract that protein, opening the door associate professor of bionanotechnology in Hunter alert people with diabetes to the presence of hydrogen per- to therapies that one day may enable people with spinal College’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. oxide, which indicates insulin deficiency. cord injuries to walk and physicians to treat nerve-killing Peptides, which are chains of two or more amino acids, Nanostructures build themselves when scientists create conditions like Lou Gehrig’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s assemble themselves and can be fashioned into nanoscale the right conditions. In nature, carbon atoms bond different- diseases. wires that function as regular electric wires. And antibodies ly, creating familiar materials like graphite, coal and diamond; Filbin, a distinguished professor of biology at Hunter naturally attach to specific receptors on the peptides. in the lab, scientists can induce carbon atoms to form tubes, College, said myelin contains myelin-associated glycoprotein “We can program it to build complex devices in lattices and spheres, each possessing unique properties. or MAG. It is believed to prevent nerves from sprouting nanoscale, so this wire goes to position A, this wire to posi- Scientists, including Akins, have used nanotubes to randomly and making the wrong connections. But when a tion B, and this particle to position C,” Matsui said. “If we improve fuel cells. A fuel cell generates electricity when a nerve is severed, MAG and related proteins also inhibit use the right antibodies, the wires won’t be misplaced.” catalyst (like gold or platinum) promotes the burning of a desirable regrowth. She discovered that when she increased the concentra- tion of a common signaling molecule called cyclic adenosine monophosphate, or cyclic AMP, nerve axons (which carry outgoing messages from neurons) overcome the inhibitory effects of MAG and grow. Her basic research explores how cyclic AMP “changes a neuron to enable it to grow in this inhibitory environment. We have identified what genes are turned on in response to cyclic AMP and know that the proteins that result from these genes are sufficient to overcome inhibition. We are systematically working through these different downstream effectors to see if they will allow neurons to grow, will they promote central nervous system regeneration in vivo and how they work.” Preliminary animal research shows that “if you elevate cyclic AMP, you will get the nerve to regenerate and will get some functioning back. My long-term dream is that we can artificially change the dynamics of the cytoskeleton, which is to nerves what bones are to the body, to get nerves to regenerate,” she said. Clinical trials, though, are still far off. Despite the potential of her work and five patents either approved or pending, Filbin is frustrated that major pharma- ceutical companies have dropped their research into nerve Hunter College associate professor of bionanotechnology regeneration. Perhaps they don’t see a big enough market in Hiroshi Matsui works at building complex diagnostic treating people with spinal cord injuries like the late actor devices in nanoscale. Christopher Reeve, who helped secure state funding that

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Brooklyn College chemistry professor Lesley Davenport seeks ways to prevent an abnormal body process that can trigger cancer.

signals at the single photon level. And his team is working on photonic integrated circuits (similar to electronic chips) for ultrafast signal processing; that could lead to optical computers whose speed would surpass current silicon-based circuitry. This and the flexible emitter work are funded by the Army Research Office. Turning to fundamental research, Menon explores three- dimensional photonic crystals, which can efficiently trap photons. He collaborates with City College chemical engi- neering assistant professor Ilona Kretzschmar, whose group constructs these crystals using directed self-assembly; Menon evaluates their ability to trap light. The CUNY col- laborative program funds this research. He also seeks to understand how light acts in a structure where light emitters are stacked periodically (imagine a dis- play of oranges). This work is in collaboration with Queens College theorists Lev Deych and Alexander Lisyansky; it is funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

OULD LIGHT PROVIDE more detailed mammograms Cthan X-rays, making surgical biopsies obsolete for diag- nosing breast cancer? Swapan Gayen hopes so. A professor in the Department of Physics and the Institute for Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lasers at The City College of New York, he is the principal investigator of a four-year, $1.36-million grant to evaluate whether near-infrared light (just beyond the visible spec- trum) can not only detect and diagnose breast cancer but also assess how rapidly tumors are growing. His team includes CCNY professors Robert Alfano and Feng-Bao Lin, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Dr. Jason Koutcher. The U.S. Army Medical supports her research. Or perhaps they just don’t see the ple smoke,” he said. Could the reason be this pungent yel- Research and Materiel Command Breast Cancer Research future evident in an aging population. low spice, used in India to anoint the foreheads of wedding Program funds their work. “My argument is that in motor neuron diseases, couples and in cosmetics to slough off dead cells and make Current screening methods like X-ray mammography Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis, you have the skin glow? and ultrasound excel at detecting abnormalities, but they ongoing nerve death. You have to arrest the progression of “Curcumin is becoming a legendary molecule, and there cannot diagnose whether they are malignant or benign. For those diseases and, if you want full functional recovery, is a huge amount of research into it. It blocks breast cancer, that, physicians need to perform biopsies, anxiety-producing you’re going to have to replace those lost neurons in an lung cancer, colon cancer, but there wasn’t any research in surgical procedures that in 80 percent of U.S. cases do not inhibitory environment. Everything we find out about brain cancer because, when eaten, it metabolizes before it find cancer. regeneration after injury could be applicable to neuron can reach the brain.” But using light for mammography is easier said than done. replacement in degenerative diseases,” Filbin said. So Banerjee developed an easily metabolized, soluble for- “The main problem is that light does not go through mulation of curcumin. When injected into the brain or NXIETY, RAGE, DEPRESSION and brain cancer form human tissue as it goes through a glass of water,” Gayen blood of mice, it “blocks the formation of tumors and is an understandable quartet, but for Probal Banerjee they explained. “It’s absorbed and scattered many times, so it’s A completely harmless to normal brain cells. In fact, it pro- encompass two distinct research projects. hard to get a direct image.” However, since normal tissue tects against oxidative injuries.” The first examines how the neurotransmitter serotonin has different optical and molecular properties than cancer- Banerjee even coined a name for his curcumin therapy: governs emotions. “We have shown for the first time that ous tissue, and since “we can model how light transits “spicile,” from spice and guided missile. the serotonin 1A receptor in the brain plays a varied role in through breast tissues and can measure the different angular orientations and transit times of the light that comes out the early postnatal stages,” said Banerjee, a professor of PHOTONICS chemistry, biochemistry and neuroscience at the College of the other end, we should be able to get an interior map of The study of the properties and applications of light, or Staten Island. the breast.” energy whose basic unit is the photon. “In the hippocampus, which controls memory, it helps To learn how to do that, Gayen’s team constructs model cell division just before neuronal connections are made. AKING PHOTONIC DEVICES flexible and miniatur- breasts using samples of tumors and healthy breast tissue. Then it changes its mode of action to help build neuronal Mized opens many possibilities for research and practical They compare their images made with light to the results of connections. We are working out the signal transduction cas- applications, said Queens College assistant professor Vinod X-rays and MRIs. cade, which is the sequence of events inside the neuron that Menon, one of CUNY’s “cluster hires” in photonics. Beyond detecting tumors, this research offers hope of diag- regulates its electrical activity, cell division and maturation,” Take flexible display screens, which one day could rival nosing breast tumors without surgery. The researchers will try he said. The proteins created or activated “can be our thera- the rigid flat screens that are the high-definition rage. These to measure the rate of tumor growth by monitoring the peutic targets in treating depression and anxiety.” solid-state displays are extremely thin, like the ultraviolet- progress of cancer in animals using both conventional meth- The amount of serotonin in the absorbing films that sometimes are placed over windows, but ods and near-infrared spectroscopy. If the studies prove suc- cerebral spinal fluid affects emo- they can emit light just like a television. cessful, they will seek additional funding for in vivo research. tions. At normal levels, serotonin is …we would alter the “They could be wrapped around build- Gayen’s work into how light behaves in a highly scatter- a calming agent, but having too lit- ings, or run up a wall or around columns. ing medium has other potential uses. Under a grant from tle can trigger aggression and emo- “ You even could put them on clothes for the Office of Naval Research, his team investigated technol- surface of the cancer cells in tional problems including depres- identification purposes,” Menon said. “And ogy that penetrates coastal water better than ordinary light. sion and suicidal tendencies. such a prominent manner that the technique of making these emitters is The Navy might use such technology to detect mines, while Banerjee’s team determined so simple that I even have high school stu- marine biologists could employ it to study ecosystems and that a common drug for schizo- the scavenger cells would eat dents in my lab who make them.” environmental sensing scientists could use it to see through phrenia, clozapine, works through He uses a fast-spinning machine to coat clouds. the serotonin 1A receptor, leading them up. multiple layers of polymers onto a flexible him to speculate that “many emo- base, creating an optical microcavity, STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY tional disorders which surface in -—” Probal Banerjee, professor of which traps and amplifies light at specific The study of the architecture and functioning of macro- puberty are related to serotonin chemistry, biochemistry and neuroscience frequencies, harnessing it for emission like molecules, which work properly in cells only in specific three- disorder.” at the College of Staten Island a TV or transmission over fiber-optic lines. dimensional shapes. He also studies brain tumors, Microcavity lasers are used widely, such as HAT IF YOU COULD HALT CANCER in its tracks taking divergent approaches. to produce the narrow beams that read Wby stopping a key enzyme from working when it’s Normally, the body’s defenses recognize and destroy cells and write CDs and DVDs. not supposed to? Lesley Davenport, a chemistry professor at with unfamiliar surfaces. But cancer cells can hide by chang- His microcavity light emitters are more efficient, control- Brooklyn College, thinks the solution may lie in the protec- ing their surfaces. “By doing genetic targeting, we would lable and cheaper than previous attempts at creating flexi- tive four-stranded knots that may be found at the ends of alter the surface of the cancer cells in such a prominent ble photonic devices, he said. “The other big advantage is chromosomes. manner that the scavenger cells would eat them up,” that you can cover the visible and near-infrared spectrum, These knots—quadruplexes, they’re called—have the Banerjee said. depending on the materials you choose.” potential to form in telomeric DNA located at the end of His other approach to brain cancer employs curcumin, He predicted that microcavity devices that can emit sin- chromosomes. And quadruplexes, in the laboratory at least, the main ingredient in the Asian spice turmeric. “On the gle photons (which are to light what electrons are to elec- inhibit the action of telomerase. In most cells, the enzyme Indian subcontinent, there is practically no colon cancer, tricity) will lead to practical quantum information process- shortens telomeres with each replication cycle as part of the although some people there have bad lifestyles; a lot of peo- ing and quantum encryption, in which data sit on individual normal process of cell aging and death. (The exception is in photons. His group is developing materials to manipulate

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reproductive cells, which telomerase protects by lengthen- ing telomeres.) But when this process goes awry, telomerase WHAT’S AHEAD: can trigger uncontrolled replication and cell immortality – cancer, in other words. A Science Think Tank Davenport hopes that her basic research can lead to ONSTRUCTION BEGAN THIS FALL on the centerpiece of drugs that would lock the telomeres of cancer patients, CUNY’s Decade of Science, a glass-sheathed, $300- shutting down the progress of the disease. “We ask simple Cmillion laboratory overlooking Harlem on the south questions: What drives quadruplex folding, and what are campus of The City College of New York. the dynamics of its formation?” When the Advanced Science Research Center opens in 2012, it will be the think tank for the University’s five flag- Among researchers who study telomeres and telomerase, ship science programs. It also will offer $50 million worth of she stands out for her expertise in fluorescent spectroscopy. esoteric equipment to researchers from across CUNY, ranging Architectural rendering of the Advanced Science Research Center. She maps model DNA quadruplex sequences with the help from a rooftop atmospheric observatory to instruments to map of specially synthesized, fluorescent probes made of guanine- brain activity. It would have been prohibitively expensive to the sleek, five-story, 200,000-square-foot building. Its glass walls will like residues. (The nucleotide guanine is a building block of buy and maintain such devices on more than one campus. rise above a gray brick footing that echoes the Manhattan schist DNA and a main component of telomeres.) Because this “We designed this research center to promote and encourage façades of CCNY’s neo-Gothic north campus. Flad and Associates of guanine is fluorescent, it’s easy to find with optical spec- University-wide scientific collaboration,” said Chancellor Matthew Wisconsin, a science facility specialist, is the architect of record and troscopy even at low concentrations. Goldstein. “Given the caliber of our professors and doctoral students, we designed the labs. “We’ve been asking: Are all guanine positions in the expect that the ASRC will be a crucible for breakthroughs.” Those firms also designed an adjacent four-story, 200,000-square- DNA quadruplex identical? We’ve found that they’re not,” The building devotes one floor to each flagship area: environmental foot science research and instructional building for City College. It will Davenport said. sensing, nanotechnology, neuroscience, photonics and structural biolo- supplement CCNY’s Robert E. Marshak Hall, a 1960s structure that is gy. A faculty task force recommended that the University leverage those She and her research team designed sequences with fluo- being renovated. areas of existing faculty strength to achieve national prominence. Anticipating future needs, the University also commissioned prelim- rescent guanines at various points in the quadruplex and “The goal was to identify areas where an investment now would still inary work on ASRC Phase II, which may be built during the next observed how minor changes affect their ability to form be of national and international importance 10 or 15 years from now,” decade. “If one of the five areas in the ASRC really takes off and needs knots. In certain positions, the altered guanine makes the said Vice Chancellor for Research Gillian Small. support, we could dedicate space in the Phase II building, or by then quadruplex fall part, indicating locations that are vital for ASRC will house approximately 50 professional staffers, including new areas of research may emerge where we can make significant con- quadruplex stabilization. about 20 faculty affiliated with a CUNY campus; their grants will flow tributions,” Small said. That’s significant because before researchers can develop through the ASRC, helping to fund its operations. An executive director Excavation of the bedrock beneath the three buildings will occur drugs to lock quadruplexes, they have to know where to will run the building and be its chief fund-raiser. A nationally known simultaneously, but the Phase II site will then be filled in to await con- attach the lock. scientist will direct each lab. Ph.D.-level staff scientists will assist visit- struction. That will minimize future interference with sensitive instru- That brings Davenport to another question: the dynamics ing CUNY faculty members in using the instruments. And staff techni- ments at the ASRC and the City College building, as well as at the nearby and thermodynamics of how it folds. “If we understand how cians will maintain the devices. New York Structural Biology Center. That center is a renowned consortium Architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates of New York City designed the quadruplex folds up on itself, then maybe drugs can be of premier research institutions, including CUNY. designed to make it lock the closed quadruplex conforma- tion and thereby prevent telomerase from binding.” Davenport hopes to develop, test and screen for potential drugs that could keep telomeres tied in their elegant knots Queens College assistant professor in collaboration with Mary Hawkins of the National Cancer Vinod Menon is developing integrated Institute, who prepared some of the early fluorescent DNA circuits that could lead to ultrafast sequences that she used. optical computers.

ORKING FROM THE PREMISE that molecular Warchitecture can shed light on function, Ruth Stark parses tiny structures that operate within cells, like the pig- ment melanin that can develop in certain fungi. Melanin protects fungi, just as it colors and protects human skin. It also can make them virulent, a worry for AIDS patients with fungal infections, said Stark, a distin- guished professor of structural biology in the City College Chemistry Department. Her current projects include studying how fungi create melanin from amino acid derivatives and how melanin attaches itself to fungal cell walls. “In contrast to other ubiq- uitous pigments like chlorophyll and hemoglobin, little is known about the molecular basis for melanin’s many biologi- cal functions,” Stark said. “Melanins resist traditional structur- al analysis because they don’t dissolve in water or crystallize.” Her tool of choice is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which examines nuclei nondestructively, as solids or in solu- tion, by aligning them with a magnetic field, then perturb- ing the alignment with radio waves. The high-resolution results show the response for each atom of a pigment or protein target, revealing molecular structures and flexibility, two keys to physiological function. Stark, a physical chemist, also explores what happens to dietary fat within animal cells. “As fats are digested, one of the things that they’re broken down into is fatty acids, which typically are shuttled to the cell membrane and the nucleus by protein chaperones. Some of these proteins are found in adipose [fatty] tissue, where they may facilitate signaling related to insulin tolerance,” she said. “We look at these proteins and the small molecules they grab or release, and how the three-dimensional shapes of the proteins are changed either to accommodate a foreign fatty acid that gets in or to push it out. Or one protein may collide with another to effect the fatty acid transfer. Ultimately, we want to understand the basic processes of a human cell in healthy and disease states.” Stark works with NMR equipment at CCNY and at the internationally known New York Structural Biology Center, where she is a principal investigator. She also directs CUNY’s Institute for Macromolecular Assemblies. “We now have a vir- tual institute for structural biology and engineered assemblies with more than 30 faculty teams on seven campuses,” she said. The goal is “to become a cutting-edge crossroads for sci- entists making biomedically important discoveries.”

10 CUNY MATTERS — Spring 2009 CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:52 PM Page 11 Building the City’s Future

HE UNIVERSITY is building a new East Harlem home for the forthcom- Ting graduate School of Public Health and Hunter College’s venerable School of Social Work. Also, the city and state have cleared the way to demolish and rebuild Borough of Manhattan Community College’s Fiterman Hall, which was irrepara- bly damaged in the 9/11 attacks. The School of Public Health, slated to open with master’s and doctoral programs in 2010-2011, will be the nation’s only such program focusing on urban issues. “I can think of no better way to communicate the seriousness of our commitment to involving the local community than locat- ing the school in the Harlem community,” said the founding dean, Dr. Kenneth Olden. “I want our faculty to be engaged in solving real-world problems that are important to the people of this city.” The school has University status with Hunter College. Olden, a cancer researcher, favored com- munity health initiatives when he headed the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program from 1991 to 2005. He was the first African-American to direct Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, center, hails funding to rebuild Fiterman Hall. The chancellor is flanked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, and State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, right. Behind them are Councilman Alan Gerson, left, BMCC President Antonio Perez, and Manhattan one of the 13 institutes then at the Borough President Scott Stringer. National Institutes of Health and previously taught at Harvard. As he begins recruiting faculty, Olden is weighing three global Silbermans. Occupancy for both schools is Stringer and Paul T. Williams Jr., executive at record levels; enrollment at BMCC trends: the worldwide migration to cities; slated for 2011. director of the Dormitory Authority of the alone recently exceeded 20,000. To meet the aging of populations throughout the Meanwhile, Fiterman Hall — structurally State of New York, representing Gov. David the demand, the University is examining developed world; and the transformation of damaged when the adjacent 7 World Trade A. Paterson. the idea of creating a seventh community once-lethal diseases into chronic ones rang- Center collapsed after terrorist attacks on “This site is an essential part of the college. A special task force formed in ing from diabetes to cancers. Sept. 11, 2001 — will be replaced by the revitalization of Lower Manhattan and of 2008 and charged by the chancellor to “re- “Our vision is to bring together a school spring of 2012. The project was delayed by our vision of making Lower Manhattan a imagine community--college education in this international city to address these issues from insurance to winning govern- vibrant 24/7 community,” Bloomberg said. from the ground up” has released a concept problems. Whatever we learn here and ment approvals, but in November $325 mil- The 14-story tower — bounded by paper that draws upon the existing schools’ whatever technologies we develop to lion in funding, including $139 million from Greenwich Street, Barclay Street and Park most innovative practices while suggesting address the challenges posed by these the city, was announced by Chancellor Place — will have slightly more floor space policy changes to free educators to do their three interactive forces can be applied Matthew Goldstein, Mayor Michael than the 15-story building it replaces. best work. The panel’s complete report is around the world,” Olden said. Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Sheldon The agreement comes as enrollment at available at www.cuny.edu/news. Hunter’s School of Social Work will Silver, Manhattan Borough President Scott the University’s six community colleges is occupy most of the new eight-story build- ing on Third Avenue between 118th and 119th Streets, which will have almost 30 GRANTS&FUNDING percent more space than its 40-year-old home. The existing space at 129 E. 79th Early Detection and Treatment imaging unit and independent com- Institutes of Health for research on St. is leased from Lois V. and Samuel J. of Diabetes ponent analysis algorithm to predictors of Attention Deficit improve current diagnostic Hyperactivity Disorder in Silberman and the nonprofit New York ROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY Shuiqin accuracy. preschool children; $256,958 from Community Trust. They sold the property Zhou of the College of Staten Island P the National Science Foundation for $65 million to a developer, the Brodsky received a three-year $178,645 grant from In Brief Organization; $40 million of the proceeds for a project to understand the the U.S. National Academies to support John Jay College of — CUNY’s largest gift to date — will help tectonic and stratigraphic history biomedical research aimed at the early Criminal Justice More pay for the new building. (The state of offshore New Harbor in detection and treatment of diabetes. The than $1.5 million in fed- appropriated $95 million for the rest.) The Antarctica’s Ross Sea. project is being conducted with eral funds for research remaining $25 million from the sale will City College Two grants totaling Muhammad Siddiq of Pakistan’s Quaid-i- initiatives concerning emer- create a perpetual fund for social work $430,488 from the National Institutes Azam University as part of the Pakistan- gency response to large-scale grants. In appreciation, Hunter is renaming of Health for a biomedical cancer research U.S. Science and Technology Cooperative disasters, gang violence and crime preven- its School of Social Work after the partnership with Memorial Sloan- Program. Smart polymer microgels, the tion, sex-offender management, domestic Kettering Cancer Center; $485,683 from focus of the project, are useful in biomed- violence and public safety leadership. ical applications; they can be very respon- the NIH to create a national urban model The College of Staten Island $1 million from sive to environmental stimuli, such as for minority undergraduate biomedical the U.S. Department of Education for a changes in temperature, pH and glucose education. comprehensive program to improve concentration, notes Zhou. It is this last The Graduate School and University Center teacher quality; $20,000 from ConEd to change, in glucose level, that allows these $328,970 from the National Heart, Lung enlist CSI students and faculty to help polymers to be potentially useful in the and Blood Institute for a project on image children and teachers run a greenhouse at early detection of diabetes and the treat- processing in biological 3D electron PS 35 on Staten Island’s North Shore. ment of the disease through the self-regu- microscopy. Hunter College $559,554 from the New lation of insulin delivery. LaGuardia Community College $574,930 York State Education Department to from the U.S. Department of Education Developing New Methods establish a Manhattan/Staten Island for a project to reinvigorate second-year to Detect Prostate Cancer Bilingual Education Teacher Assistance education; $504,353 from the New York Center; $154,493 from University of UBAO WANG, a senior scientist at State Education Department for a family California-Los Angeles/Autism Speaks for WCity College’s Institute for Ultrafast literacy program. Spectroscopy and Lasers, received a three- research promoting communication skills Lehman College $163,000 from the year $542,940 grant from the U.S. Army in toddlers at risk for autism. National Institutes of Health for a project Medical Research and Materiel Command Kingsborough Community College $934,632 to improve care for terminally ill children for a project to develop noninvasive methods from the Centers for Disease Control and and their families. to detect prostate cancer. Wang and collabo- Prevention for minority HIV/AIDS rators Min Xu of Fairfield University and Dr. research; $142,947 from the New York Medgar Evers College $231,000 from the James Eastham of Memorial Sloan-Kettering State Education Department for a project New York City Department of Youth and Community Development for a program for The School of Public Health’s Dean Olden Cancer Center are developing a rectal near- promoting health careers. out-of-school youth. aims to address “real-world problems.” infrared light-based scanning polarization Queens College $372,189 from the National

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Reviving the Heart of Nursing OR COLLEGE STUDENTS, the uncer- tainty of the economy has aggravated an Fage-old dilemma: How do I merge my need for a decent-paying job with a desire to do University innovations to meet expected good in the world? future needs include retraining For many, the answer has the resonance medical specialists and creating of a healthy heartbeat. “You see, nurses are in demand,” notes new faculty researchers. Edilberto Calamanan, a 55-year-old immi- grant from the Philippines who earned his associate’s degree in nursing from LaGuardia Community College in December 2007. Calamanan, an even-tem- pered man who loves helping people, began working at Elmhurst Hospital while a stu- dent at nearby LaGuardia in Queens. Since then, he has climbed the ladder, earning sig- nificant pay raises along the way. A former high school teacher in his native Philippines, Calamanan is proud of LaGuardia, which last year had a pass rate of 97.47 percent for its 79 nursing graduates who took the licensing exam. In fact, the combined average pass rate of all CUNY graduates taking the so-called NCLEX — or National Council Licensure Examination — was 86.3 percent in 2008, considerably higher than the 82.1 percent pass rate for graduates of non-CUNY nurs- ing programs in New York State. The health industry is one of the strongest sectors in the local and national economy, with 400,000 jobs in New York Nursing students at Borough of Manhattan Community College (above) and LaGuardia Community College (below) are preparing for careers at New City alone; RN’s (Registered Nurses) make York City medical centers, where the need for highly skilled nurses is great. LaGuardia’s graduates scored highest statewide on the 2007 licensing exam. up the largest single category within the industry, comprising 15 percent of those tion labs on several of our campuses.” enormous changes since the mid-20th cen- Frederickson said. “Men are afraid to go into jobs. But with that strength comes a con- Today 13 colleges offer nursing programs, tury when some of the oldest current prac- nursing because it's seen as a very caring, cern. According to federal estimates, New with three — College of Staten Island, titioners were trained. Back then, the teach- nurturing profession, and those are seen as York City will have a shortfall of almost Hunter and Lehman — offering master’s ing and certification came through hospitals feminine traits,” he said. 37,000 nurses by 2015 — and nationally a degrees in various specialties. Lehman and other so-called diploma institutes. But But one would think today, with lines shortage of a million nurses is anticipated by College in the Bronx has had nursing stu- by the 1960s, a realization developed that blurring between science and art, that men 2020. New York State legislators are calling dents since its opening in 1968 and is proud nurses — like professionals in other fields as well as women would see the beauty of a for action to boost enrollment at college of its efforts to turn out nurses who can — needed a broader intellectual grounding. profession that a famous practitioner, nursing programs, which the University sees work easily in the city's diverse communi- So colleges took up the call to provide skills Florence Nightingale, described this way: as a challenge and an opportunity. ties. Lehman has a program that trains that went considerably beyond on-the-job, “Nursing is an art; and if it is to be made According to Dr. William Ebenstein, immigrants who have received a nursing the-needle-goes-here lessons. Hospitals and an art, it requires an exclusive devotion, as University Dean for Health and Human education overseas, schooling them in other healthcare institutions now determine hard a preparation, as any painter’s or Service, the University in the last five years English and other necessary skills. Thanks to placement and promotion, in large part, on sculptor’s work…It is one of the Fine Arts; I has graduated more than a Robin Hood Foundation the degree level of candidates. had almost said the finest of Fine Arts.” 3,500 nursing students grant, Lehman has been Calamanan, the associate’s degree holder who went on to pass the working with about 20 from LaGuardia, says he very likely will NCLEX. And the number Today 13 colleges such immigrants a year. pursue a master’s degree while he works in of nursing grads (from “ Graduates are passing the a medical-surgery unit at Elmhurst LPN, or Licensed Practical offer nursing programs, licensing exams at a rate of Hospital. Having recently passed his regis- Nurse programs, as well as about 80 percent, accord- tered nurse exam, Calamanan moved from associate, bachelor's and with three — College of ing to Michael Paull, Dean a yearly LPN pay base of about $35,000, to master's programs) almost Staten Island, Hunter, of Adult and Continuing an RN line, where the average annual salary doubled from 844 in Education. can exceed $70,000 in the city. The average 2003-03 to 1,610 in and Lehman — offering The college also has an annual income of 1997-2007 CUNY gradu- 2007-08. “MD to RN” program ates currently working as licensed RNs is A key to the master’s degrees in aimed at “doctors who had $73,747. University’s plans to fur- been trained abroad and As a male, Calamanan is ther boost the number of various specialties. who were working out of among a distinct minority in nursing graduates is the ” title in this country, doing the nursing field. Of the creation of a new doctoral anything from medical three dozen or so stu- program in nursing, the technology to more menial dents enrolled or only such public program in the region. tasks,” Paull said. Lehman turns those doc- accepted into the “The shortage is pretty much based on a tors into nurses with American bachelor’s University’s doctor- lack of faculty,” said Dr. Keville degrees. al program, only Frederickson, director of the Doctor of The problem of finding good nursing pro- two are men, Nursing Science Program at the Graduate fessors is compounded by the fact that the program direc- Center. “The beauty of our program is its recommended student-faculty ratio is so tor two primary focuses — one, our concentra- low, 10 to one. This means that the average tion on health disparities, how to identify associate-level nursing course will cost them in certain ethnic groups and how to $6,800 per student, as opposed to $2,400 correct them — and that we prepare nurse per student for a non-nursing class. Another researchers who will also be educators.” costly feature of nursing education is the The University began focusing on the laboratory. The simulation labs at nursing issue in 2002, when a task force Queensborough Community College, convened by Chancellor Matthew Goldstein Borough of Manhattan Community College came up with recommendations. A key fea- and New York City College of Technology ture of the Nursing Task Force Report, Dean are especially outstanding. According to City Ebenstein noted, was the suggestion, later Tech’s website, its laboratory “contains hos- approved and carried out, for increases in pital and home health equipment, training the number of faculty to be hired. “Another mannequins, and basic medical supplies that feature,” he added, “was the embrace of simulate the clinical/home setting and help technology, including offering more online students learn a variety of skills.” courses and the creation of nursing simula- Nursing education has gone through

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Putting Student Award Winners on the Fast Track

OMING OF AGE in the streets and shadows of the city, what Andrew Santiago has lived with — drugs, vio- Clence, death — is not so unusual. But thanks to his own drive and the support of the Kaplan Educational Foundation, the 21-year-old recently found an oasis, a sin- gle, rented room in Harlem — a place to study, sleep and pursue his goal of becom- ing a writer. “It’s really quiet, it’s mine, and I sleep. It’s magic,” says the soon-to-be graduate of Borough of Manhattan Community College, finally savoring a few of the things most college students take for granted: a bed of his own, safety and a good night’s sleep. Santiago and students like him are the diamonds in the rough. Bright, hard-working and likely the first in their family to go to college, they often have little support at home and only a vague understanding of what it takes to burnish their academic careers. CUNY officials know that beyond the University’s honors programs, there are Andrew Santiago, an aspiring writer and winner of a scholarship from the Kaplan Educational Foundation, has found direction in his life other high achievers, attending senior and thanks to support and guidance from his BMCC advisers. community colleges, who qualify to compete for prestigious scholarships. Now the personal lives,” Oliver said. and was shot twice, the second time with can focus on being “students first,” Benn University is moving forward with new Santiago, too, had to be nudged to nine bullets that left him paralyzed and in said. “We don’t allow students to work efforts to find students like Santiago and pre- apply for the Kaplan foundation’s a wheelchair. A drug-abusing uncle who more than 15 hours per week.” pare them to compete for national awards. Leadership Program. The three-year-old crowded Santiago out of his room in his “We’re all people who have come from In November, 70 CUNY administrators initiative selects small cohorts of high- grandmother’s Brooklyn apartment, leav- these difficulties and obstacles, and we’re from programs for high-achieving students potential, low-income, mostly community ing him without dependable space for all trying to achieve greatness. We have so convened to exchange ideas on how to find college students each year for intensive studying and sleeping. A mother who went much to offer each other,” said Santiago of the brightest among CUNY’s many thou- support, advising and leadership training to prison soon after his birth, and with his fellow Kaplan Scholars. sands across the University, match them — from financial assistance, to “dress for whom he has a distant relationship. A They include BMCC student Nolvia with appropriate awards and mentor them success,” to preparation for transfer to a father he never knew. Delgado, 19, of Ridgewood, Queens, who through the rigorous application process. bachelor’s degree program. On the first anniversary of his aunt’s worked three jobs to help support her fam- “There is a range of very talented students Kaplan supports 17 students, aged 18 to death, “surrounded by all this sadness and ily before Kaplan’s support enabled her to at CUNY,” said James Airozo, University 33, who attend CUNY community col- all this pain,” Santiago decided that “I have scale back to one, as a legislative assistant director of student academic awards and hon- leges or have transferred from CUNY to to start somewhere. I don’t want to be a for a Brooklyn assemblyman. Delgado’s ors. “We’ve expanded our outreach efforts, four-year colleges, including Mount nobody.” interests are public service and internation- and that will expand the applicant pool for Holyoke, George Washington, Morehouse, He signed up for GED prep classes and al affairs. “I possibly might be running for scholarships.” CUNY, he added, is “trying to Syracuse, American and NYU. in a few months had the credential that mayor in the long run,” she says. break the assumption” that only Honors Based on his 3.65 GPA and credits, would bring him to BMCC. “I Norberto Taveras, 23, of Manhattan, is College students are eligible, as public institu- Santiago had been invited by BMCC to a remembered when I came home with another scholar whose fierce drive inspires. tions are increasingly competing against pri- Kaplan informational seminar last winter. good grades, and nobody cared,” Santiago In 2001, he fell out of a tree, suffering a vate colleges and universities in grooming But after the meeting, he says, “I ripped up said. “I was going to go to school and do it catastrophic spinal cord injury. “I was total- students for national honors. the paperwork, thinking: ‘What for myself, out ly paralyzed in the beginning,” he says, but The Kaplan Educational Foundation is are my chances, really?’” A of the love I had after three surgeries and years of physical one of a number of foundations, philan- BMCC scholarship adviser for my aunt.” therapy, he uses a walker and has regained thropists and other donors who are invest- pressed him to apply, and There is a range At BMCC, “I sensation in his lower limbs. A student at ing heavily in high-achieving CUNY stu- Santiago was called for an inter- “ did the reading, Hostos Community College, he advocates dents such as Santiago, who has written a view. of very talented I did the work for physically challenged students and play and wants to develop his creative He met with foundation students at CUNY. and I got good plans to become an occupational therapist. writing skills, and other extraordinary stu- Director Jennifer Benn and grades. It was The scholars are encouraged to learn dents seeking careers in the sciences and Kaplan academic advisor Nancy – James Airozo, University director” of awesome,” he from each other and from anyone else they technology. Sanchez, a CUNY alumna — student academic awards and honors said. When a meet in the foundation’s offices. Santiago Along with William and Linda Kingsborough Community professor praised met a woman working there who was in a Macaulay, the Jack Kent Cooke College and Brooklyn College — his first paper as playwriting workshop. He joined the work- Foundation, the National Science who advises and nurtures the Kaplan “a great piece of writing” and “told me I shop and wrote “Monkey,” about the tragic Foundation, the Rhodes Trust and others, Scholars closely, visiting colleges with could do this,” the encouragement was a consequences when an ignored child turns Kaplan recognizes the potential of CUNY them; recommending books to expand spark. Since then, Santiago has embraced a to his toy monkey, his imagination, for students as the University sharpens its own their cultural and social horizons, bolster- variety of genres and has even had a short attention because “no one else was there,” efforts to mentor high achievers such as its ing their knowledge, confidence and cre- play produced off-off Broadway — an Santiago said. The play was staged in July newest Rhodes Scholar, David L.V. Bauer, dentials with tutoring and counseling. achievement that developed from a con- at a theater on East 42nd Street. and promote them for top awards. “It got emotional,” said Santiago of his tact he made at the Kaplan Educational Humor is the balm for a traumatic fam- Airozo pointed to the case of Mark interview. The financial assistance the foun- Foundation. ily history with which Santiago continues Smiley, who was admitted to CUNY dation offered was key. “I’d be able to go to Benn describes the program, which sup- to grapple. “I’ve used comedy, jokes, my through the SEEK program — which pro- school,” said Santiago, who had worked at ports its scholars for three years, as “about whole life to deal with everything else,” he vides extra financial aid, tutoring and coun- Brooklyn day camps and after-school pro- removing barriers ... whether they’re aca- said, adding that he would like to write for seling to talented low-income students grams for years to support himself, the jobs demic or personal,” enabling the students “Saturday Night Live” some day. with shaky transcripts — but who won a a stabilizing factor even when his home life to develop academic and leadership skills “It’s healing, it’s therapy, it’s fun,” he scholarship from the Cooke foundation to became so painful that he dropped out of in preparation for transfer to a bachelor’s added “If I can use my story to make peo- pay for medical school. Franklin D. Roosevelt High School. degree program. The transfers have so far ple laugh, feel connected and less alone, Honors counselors do more than match “This journey to being a student,” as been to private colleges, but Benn says I’ll feel like I did my job as a writer.” students with awards. Carol Oliver, director Santiago describes it, has been fraught. “I what’s important is that a school be the For now, the Kaplan Educational of Hunter College’s Ronald E. McNair make the really hard parts of my life bear- “best fit” for the student. Foundation is helping him reach for a life scholars program, told colleagues at the fall able with comedy,” he begins, sitting in the The program’s focus is on high-potential, beyond his past, to plans that include meeting that she has played the role of Kaplan Educational Foundation’s sleek low-income black and Hispanic students, transferring next fall to a four-year college friend, mentor and even psychologist to midtown offices, where the community and the financial help is substantial, says for his B.A. students. She pushed a student for a month college students spend Fridays meeting Benn, with up to $3,000 per year available “What’s important about this program,” to apply to graduate school; the student with advisers and each other. for a living stipend, transportation and oth- he said, “is the support that they give me, felt discouraged by a low GRE score. Santiago has plenty of material. A er expenses for those in the associate’s pro- that someone really cares about my educa- The student now attends Rutgers beloved aunt who, at 45, was “into drugs, grams; and up to $30,000 a year, including tion as much as I do. That’s what I’ve been University on a full scholarship. “We have had HIV” and “didn’t wake up” on tuition and transportation, for those who dying for, pleading for from my family.” to nurture these students to help them cre- Halloween of 2005. A brother who has transfer to the bachelor’s programs. His Kaplan advisors, he said, are “like ate a balance between their academic and “always been into trouble,” who did time The funds ensure that Kaplan Scholars family when you need them to be.”

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BOOKTALK lizations in the galaxy is because they nev- An Impossibly ‘Funny’ Book on Physics er made the transition, i.e. they self- destructed.” By Gary Schmidgall My space has run out, and I haven’t even lenge is currently to develop a room-tem- sumed by the sun” — the good news being mentioned Kaku’s talk of diamagnets, nano- ELL INTO the newest of Michio perature superconductor (now it’s necessary we have 5 billion years of lead-time to bots, gamma ray bursters, charge parity- Kaku’s several layperson-friendly to cool one down to near absolute zero to build our ark). This last chapter was proba- reversed universes, tachyons, or NASA’s Wbooks, Physics of the Impossible reduce electrical resistance). bly hardest on my poor soft-sciences brain. Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. (Doubleday), one encounters as an epigraph Another chapter is devoted to the practi- “Are any reversed anti-universes possible?” Scheduled for launch in 2015 and involving 3 this observation by the prolific sci-fi writer calities of the “invisibility cloak” ubiquitous Kaku asks. I take his answer (yes) on faith. million-mile-long laser beams, LISA will be and biochemist Isaac Asimov: “The most in science fiction, most recently in Harry Next come the Class II impossibilities, the largest scientific instrument of all time. exciting phrase to hear in science, the one Potter. This involves Kaku in a discussion of which Kaku defines as “technologies that sit that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka’ the work of the great Scottish physicist at the very edge of our understanding of the (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny.’” James Clerk Maxwell and of the fact that physical world. If they are possible at all, Which — this invisibility arises at they might be realized on a scale of millen- will date me! — the atomic level. nia to millions of years in the future.” There recalled to mind What is needed are three of these. The first opens the possi- FACULTYHONORS “Time for Beany.” here are “metama- bility of crashing through the universe’s Whenever this terials” that “bend” maximum speed limit, the speed of light. Private Lives Wins Prize ’50s TV puppet light, and Kaku This notion, so delectable to science fiction ANDICE M. JENKINS, associate started to tell a says that “in the writers, is viewed by Kaku as a sine qua non Cprofessor of English at Hunter funny story, his last few years, for travel to distant galaxies. Exploring it College, received the Modern Language loyal sidekick, metamaterials involves such theoretical exotica as the Association of America’s seventh annu- Cecil the seasick have actually been Alcubierre drive, negative energy, al William Sanders Scarborough Prize sea serpent, manufactured in wormholes, black holes and Planck energy. for her book Private Lives, Proper would ask, “Is this the laboratory, The next Class II impossibility is time Relations: Regulating Black Intimacy. The story funny ha-ha forcing reluctant travel. Kaku rules it out to the past, but says prize is for an outstanding scholarly or funny pecu- physicists to that to the future “is possible” in principle. study of black American literature or liar?” Asimov rewrite all the He notes that, because clocks beat a bit culture and includes a $1,000 cash obviously had the textbooks in slower in space, Russian cosmonaut Sergei award. Her book, which is a study of latter in mind, optics.” Within the Avdeyev, who orbited for 748 days, holds From spacewalks to time travel: representations of sexuality and the and boy-oh-boy next few decades the world record for time travel. He “was Physicist and futurist Michio body in African-American literature, has Kaku pro- Kaku says time travel to the or in this century, hurled .02 seconds into the future.” Quoting was cited for being “daring in its argu- duced a “funny” future, though not the past, “is “a form of invisi- e. e. cummings — “there’s a hell of a good ment and meticulous in its execution.” book in that possible” in principle. bility may become universe next door; let’s go” — Kaku sense. Not one of commonplace.” addresses the third Class II notion: parallel Hempel Wins Rea Award his 15 chapters fails to leave one Kaku’s 3 classes Can weapons universes. He cites the TV series “Sliders,” in MY HEMPEL, who is coordinator of the “seemingly scratching the head and mutter- impossible:” be created that which a boy reads a book and is inspired to Aof Brooklyn College’s M.F.A. ing, “That’s funny.” As in weird, could destroy an build a machine for “sliding” between uni- Program in Fiction, won the 2008 Rea twilight-zonish, or plain absurd. CLASS 1 entire planet, as verses. The book in question? Kaku’s highly Award for the Short Story, a $30,000 But beware: The very first of • Teleportation in “Star Wars”? In praised 1994 Hyperspace. (Among his other prize awarded to an American or many provocative chapter • Antimatter engines a chapter on “Phasers and Death titles are Cosmos and Visions: How Science Canadian writer for “significant contribu- • Telepathy epigraphs in Physics of the • Psychokinesis Stars,” Kaku answers in the affirma- Will Revolutionize the 21st Century.) tions to the discipline of the short story Impossible is Albert Einstein’s • Invisibility tive. In a chapter on teleportation Last come the Class III impossibilities. form.” Her work, The Collected Stories of remark, “If at first an idea does Amy Hempel, was one of The New York CLASS 2 (instant travel by a person or These are technologies that violate the not sound absurd, then there is object from point A to point B), known laws of physics. If they turn out to Times’ Ten Best Books of 2006. • Time machines no hope for it.” (There’s one • Hyperspace travel Kaku notes that it was invented by be possible, they would “represent a funda- Chemical Engineers Honor Denn epigraphic slip: not Shakespeare • Wormholes in space Gene Roddenberry for “Star Trek” mental shift in our understanding of ORTON M. DENN, Albert but Neil Gaiman said,“It is a because the Paramount Studio physics.” The first is perpetual motion CLASS 3 Einstein Professor of Science fool’s prerogative to utter truths budget did not allow for costly machines, for centuries a rich source for M • Perpetual motion and Engineering at CCNY, received that no one else will speak.”) simulation of rocket ships taking charlatans and hoaxers, and the second is machine the American Institute of Chemical Kaku, a professor of theoretical • Precognition off and landing. But Kaku’s serious precognition or predictions of the future, Engineers’ 2008 Founders Award for physics at The Graduate Center discussion focuses on quantum which evokes one of Kaku’s few bearish outstanding contributions to chemical and City College, is a consummate and theory, where “all the basic laws of com- conclusions. If it turns out to be possible, it engineering. Dr. Denn, a CUNY distin- multidisciplinary futurist, seemingly at mon sense are violated: electrons can dis- “would set off a major shake-up in the very guished professor of chemical engi- home rubbing shoulders with the world’s appear and reappear elsewhere and elec- foundation of modern physics.” neering with a joint appointment as leading-edge physicists, mathematicians, trons can be many places at the same Kaku refines his taxonomy by suggesting professor of physics, also heads City’s astronomers, cosmologists and engineers. time.” Soon one reads about recent break- which kinds of civilizations will achieve Benjamin Levich Institute for Physico- As the cofounder of string theory, which through research on one of the colder sub- these technologies. Corresponding to the Chemical Hydrodynamics. Kaku proudly calls “the leading (and only) stances in the universe, a Bose Einstein classes of impossibilities, they are: the Type candidate for a theory of everything,” his condensate or BEC, a millionth to a bil- I, which harvests all energy available on a NSF Gives Cardoso $3.1 million credentials as a futurist are impeccable. His lionth of a degree above absolute zero given planet; Type II, which can exploit the UNTER COLLEGE’S Elizabeth book is bound to leave a stodgy pastist like (about minus 460 degrees Fahrenheit). entire power of a sun, making it 10 billion HDa Silva Cardoso has received a me with jaw dropped and mind boggled. Then Kaku ties teleportation to the devel- times more powerful than Type I (Star $3.1-million grant from the National But, though sometimes a term of art slips opment of quantum computers, which he Trek’s Federation of Planets is a Type II); Science Foundation for her project by unexplained (what’s an accretion disk?), predicts will make PCs obsolete. Type III, able to utilize the power of an “MIND Alliance for Minority Students Kaku clearly has the knack for fooling the Another Class I impossibility is telepa- entire galaxy, another 10 billion times more with Disabilities in Science, Technology, lay reader into thinking he can grasp at thy. As with several Class I impossibilities, powerful than II (the Empire in “Star Wars” Engineering and Mathematics.” The proj- least the outline of the topics he explores. the Pentagon and our spook agencies have and civilization in Asimov’s Foundation ect is designed to increase the quantity He also is careful to set these topics in his- sunk lots of money into research. Between Series are Type III). and quality of minority students with dis- torical and cultural contexts, aerating his 1972 and 1995 the CIA paid psychics, Where do we fit in? In Hyperspace, Kaku abilities in the sciences at high schools, discussions with cameo appearances by remote viewers and researchers at the defined us on Earth as a Type 0 civilization: community colleges, colleges and in the major scientific figures, suggestive tie-ins to Stanford Research Institute $20 million. “we use dead plants, oil and coal to fuel our workforce. A professor in Hunter’s the giants of science fiction, and fascinating The results, Kaku reports, were worthless, machines” and we “use only a fraction of the School of Education, Dr. Cardoso will parallels to world literature. but he is more bullish on mind-reading, in sun’s energy that falls on our planet.” A Type partner with Southern University at The purpose of this book “is to consider particular MRI-based lie detection. 0 civilization is “still wracked with sectarian- Baton Rouge on the project. what technologies are considered ‘impossi- The chapter on psychokinesis, after ism, fundamentalism, and racism” — though ble’ today that might well become com- quickly disposing of spoon-bending non- Kaku sees glimmers of a unified planetary $1.7 million for Spinal Research monplace decades to centuries down the sense, gets into the fascinating interface of culture that Type I requires in the European WO College of Staten Island faculty road.” After discussing various notions of mind and machine. Indeed, the future Union and in the ascendance of English as Tmembers, Maria Knikou and parallel universes, Kaku says, “As far-fetched seems to have arrived this summer. Kaku the global language. Kaku envisages a plane- Zaghloul Ahmed, received grants total- as some of these ideas appear, they have writes, “It is well within the laws of tary culture that will “perhaps be dominated ing $1.7 million for spinal cord injury been seriously considered by physicists.” physics for a person in the future to be by youth culture and commercialism.” This research from the NY State Department That statement applies to the entire book. trained to mentally manipulate an elec- could be the only bit of old news in the of Health, Wadsworth Center for Spinal Kaku divides his impossibilities into three tronic sensing device.” Didn’t The New whole book. Injury Research Board. Both members of classes. Two-thirds of his book is devoted to York Times carry a story in May 2008 Kaku guesses that in a couple of hundred CSI’s Physical Therapy Department, Dr. 10 Class I technologies that are impossible about monkeys trained to operate a pros- years, we might hoist ourselves to Type I Knikou was awarded $1.4 million for today but “do not violate the known laws of thetic arm mentally through an embedded status. That is, of course, assuming we don’t research on the neural mechanisms physics.” Achieving these “might be possible chip and biofeedback? (to use some physics jargon) become deco- underlying locomotor recovery, while Dr. in this century, or perhaps the next, in mod- Other Class I chapters are devoted to herent. That is, if either by accident or Ahmed received $300,000 for research ified form.” Among these is the exploitation robots and artificial intelligence, extrater- intention we blast ourselves to smithereens on the effects of combined magnetic of those magnetic force fields so familiar to restrials and UFOs, antimatter and anti- in a nuclear holocaust. stimulation and acrobatic exercises on an Trekkies. Maglev trains are already in their universes, and starships (needed for escape As Kaku ominously notes, “Perhaps the animal model of spinal cord injury. third decade, but Kaku says the great chal- from an Earth dying “in flames as it is con- one reason that we don’t see Type I civi-

14 CUNY MATTERS — Spring 2009 CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:52 PM Page 15

A Fresh Idea Sprouts in the Bronx By Richard Yeh became a fellow at the Field Center. HE IDEA TO ORGANIZE a food For $60 a month, the co-op rents space cooperative came to Zena Nelson under a basement stairwell at Los South Bronx Food Tone day after a class at Baruch Quedamos community center on Melrose Cooperative founder College’s Zicklin School of Business. Avenue in Melrose Commons, one of the Zena Nelson, left, helps “I was really hungry — and broke — city’s poorer neighborhoods. Until it customer Dan Zuger and coming out of school,” said the 29- opened, organic food was hard to find pack his purchases. year-old master’s degree candidate. “The there. “Our members turn to us because local supermarket in my neighborhood had we offer healthy foods they can’t get else- not the best food. I where in the Bronx,” couldn’t afford to said Linda Carela, a he South Bronx Food Cooperative shop downtown in co-op fixture and accepts new members online at Manhattan. “I’m T UNICEF official. www.sbxfc.org. For a podcast of also a member of Richard Yeh’s interview with Zena The prices are hard the Green Party — Nelson, go to www.cuny.edu/podcasts, to beat. Food co-ops are all eight of us in click “Newsmakers” and look for the community supermar- the Bronx — and Dec. 14, 2007, story, “A Food Co-op kets where shoppers are [previously] we Grows in South Bronx.” also workers and own- had a conversation ers. By donating at least about how to do three hours of work per more of a public promotion effort. month, they drive down costs and, there- Somebody mentioned, ‘You should do fore, prices. Items are marked up only 15 something like a food co-op.’” percent from wholesale. Researching the idea, Nelson had come The co-op buys its staples from United added, “It made a lot of sense for me to agreed. “Before working at the co-op, I felt across the 12,000-member Park Slope Natural Foods, a national distributor of combine my hunger and poverty with that we didn’t really live in the Bronx, we Food Co-op in Brooklyn and thought, natural and organic food. Produce and per- other peoples’ hunger and poverty.” just slept here,” he said. “This co-op has “That’s a really good business model.” ishables come from farmers and communi- The co-op, now 70 strong, has attracted really become the middle man between us Then it struck her: Why not offer ty-supported agriculture groups in New a diverse membership, from health-con- and the community.” affordable, healthy, organic foods to an York and neighboring states. scious Bronx natives to hip newcomers. Tackling local health problems, Nelson impoverished community suffering from a “We had only 10 products at the begin- Norelis Santiago, a representative at two plans to offer breast cancer screening and high incidence of obesity, diabetes and high ning,” said Carl Lundgren, chair of the unions, UNITE HERE and SEIU, said she workshops on diabetes and obesity. blood pressure? The South Bronx Food Bronx Greens and a founding member of was drawn to organic food because she Meanwhile, she is working with her mentor, Cooperative was born. the co-op. Today it offers more than 250 “wanted to live longer and be healthy. I Claire Altman, executive director of With draft business plan in hand, she items. used to shop at Whole Foods down by my ReServe Elder Service in Brooklyn, to estab- approached Monica Dean, director of What also distinguishes the South job, but it’s gut-wrenching to have to pay lish a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation to Zicklin’s Lawrence N. Field Center for Bronx project is its broad social purpose. those kinds of prices.” Smiling as she provide educational services. Her top goals Entrepreneurship, which encourages social “There are a lot of health disparities in the picked up items like beans and lemon are to find a larger, street-level space and to involvement. Dean suggested she enter the Bronx,” Nelson said. “In my target market- pepper seasoning, she said, “A big part of expand the membership so that the co-op 2006-2007 Baruch College and Merrill ing to low-income families, I started to what I love about the co-op is being can be “a regular store” with regular hours Lynch Entrepreneurship Challenge. Nelson hear a pattern of obesity, childhood and together with the community. There’s rather than being open only on Saturdays. won first place — a $5,000 prize and adult diabetes, hypertension, etcetera” something fundamentally right about “I really did not come into grad school $15,000 in seed money. She opened the Healthier food and nutritional instruction requiring people to work together.” expecting too much out of it,” Nelson said. co-op in the summer of 2007. She also could help, she said. With a laugh, she Carela’s son Martin, the co-op’s cashier, “I’m shocked at where I am now.”

graduates test-preparation opportunities New Resources for Job Seekers for the PCT, Hershenson and Moore said. CUNY officials also are working with

HE UNIVERSITY is launching an expanded ongoing efforts by career development cen- Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. U.S. Census representatives to publicize and Tcareer services and employment initia- ters at the colleges. Groenwegen reported about a new recruit candidates for recently announced tive for students and graduates to help University officials including Professional Careers Test (PCT) that is jobs. Hiring for full-time and part-time identify job and career opportunities with Hershenson, Vice-Chancellor for Student being offered in 2009 by the Civil Service employees is underway for the 2010 census, various state agencies, the U.S. Census Development Garrie W. Moore and Vice- Department. The PCT is geared toward with peak hiring in spring 2010. Among Bureau, the New York State Unified Court Chancellor for Human Resources filling 1,500 full-time jobs encompassing positions that will be available in the New System and the New York City Board of Management Gloriana B. Waters met 55 professional positions in government York region are administrative coordinator, Elections. recently with New York State Department statewide. recruiting coordinator, area manager, enu- In a difficult economy, CUNY needs to of Civil Service Commissioner Nancy G. Applicants are required to have a bache- merator and field operations supervisor—as be “out in front” in lining up employment Groenwegen to discuss job opportunities lor’s degree, the commissioner noted. well as a variety of administrative, secretarial opportunities and internships for students for students and graduates. Representatives Among positions for which vacancies exist and clerical jobs. For more information and graduates as well as providing career from York College, Borough of Manhattan are health program administrator, child about these and other positions, visit counseling and guidance, Senior Vice- Community College, Medgar Evers College support specialist, budget examiner, man- www.census.gov/2010 census. Chancellor for University Relations Jay and CUNY’s Black Male Initiative also agement specialist and criminal justice pro- In addition, CUNY is collaborating with Hershenson said. The new campaign is attended. The meeting was held with the gram representative. Salaries are approxi- the New York State Unified Court System designed to supplement and support the assistance of New York Secretary of State mately $38,000 for a first-year traineeship, to recruit students as court interpreters. $42,000 for a second-year traineeship and Courts throughout the state need part- $51,000 for a third-year journey level time, full-time and freelance interpreters in employee. South Asian/Far East languages (including Many of these jobs are expected to be in Burmese, Thai and Vietnamese); India- the New York metropolitan area, which based languages (such as Hindi and includes New York City as well as Nassau, Punjabi); African languages (including Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland Somali and Tigrinya); and American Sign Counties. Nearly 28 percent of the state’s Language. 170,000 employees work in the metropoli- Finally, CUNY has been working with tan area. Many state employment opportu- the New York City Board of Elections on a nities elsewhere are in regions where the poll-worker initiative for students. state is investing in economic development. The University has created Groenwegen said that although Gov. www.cuny.edu/studentjobs, a website with David A. Paterson recently announced a more information. statewide hiring freeze, CUNY students The new CUNY Jobs Initiative is should take the PCT in anticipation of the designed to supplement the work of the positions being filled on an emergency career development centers on the basis or the lifting of the freeze. She also University’s campuses. These centers pro- advised those who plan to take the test to vide students and alumni with career coun- prepare for it. seling and planning, vocational testing, job The University is exploring partnering fairs, career days, internship fairs and net- with labor unions to offer students and working opportunities. Vice Chancellors Moore, left, and Hershenson, meet with Commissioner Groenwegen.

CUNY MATTERS — Spring 2009 15 CUNYMatters LG-09:CUNYMatters LG 3/05 3/9/09 6:52 PM Page 16

DAVID L.V. BAUER CUNY’S NEWEST RHODES SCHOLAR • 2008 RHODES SCHOLAR • 2008 HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE • 2007 BARRY M. GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP • 2005 INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH Macaulay Honors College at City College 2009, Hunter College High School 2005

Aurora Almendral Riki Drori Yeshey Pelzom Corey E. Sullivan Hunter College Hunter College LaGuardia Community The City College of Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Jack Kent Cooke College New York Louise Anderson Foundation Graduate Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Fulbright Scholarship, 2008 CUNY Baccalaureate, Scholarship, 2004 Transfer Scholarship, 2006 Priya Surya John Jay College Holly Ecker and Graduate Scholarship, Macaulay Honors College Thurgood Marshall Hunter College William McCaig 2008 at Queens College Scholarship, 2007 Fulbright Scholarship, 2005 CUNY Baccalaureate, Julia Rafal Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Hunter College Lehman College Alice Michelle Moses Feaster NSF Graduate Research Lev Alexander Augustine Brooklyn College British Marshall Fellowship, 2005 Sviridov Lehman College National Science Scholarship, 2006 The City College of Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation Graduate Ryan Merola Alex Rodriguez New York Fellowship for New Research Fellowship, 2006 Macaulay Honors College Macaulay Honors College Rhodes Scholarship and Americans, 2006 at Brooklyn College at Hunter College Barry M. Goldwater Miriam Ginzberg Harry S. Truman Rafat Azad Queens College Fulbright Scholarship, 2008 Scholarship, 2005 Scholarship, 2006 Queens College Barry M. Goldwater Yisa Rumala Sean Talisman Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Scholarship, 2007 Carla Minami York College Queens College Hunter College Suzanne Barnett Ricardo Gonzalez National Science Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Hunter College Rubio Fulbright Scholarship, 2006 Foundation Graduate Graduate Scholarship, Jacob Javits Fellowship, The City College of April Mojica Research Fellowship, 2006 2006 2004 New York CUNY Baccalaureate, Rachel Schnur Jessica Tibbets Medgar Evers College Itamar Belisha Paul & Daisy Soros Queens College The City College of CUNY Baccalaureate, The Fellowship for New Thurgood Marshall Barry M. Goldwater New York City College of New York Americans, 2007 Scholarship, 2005 Scholarship, 2006 Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Barry M. Goldwater Kate Hirschmann- Jocelyn Muhleisen Aida Sehovic Keisha Toms Scholarship, 2007 Levy Baruch College Hunter College CUNY Baccalaureate, Hunter College Christopher Bell Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Jacob Javits Fellowship, Medgar Evers College Baruch College Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Philipa Njau 2007 Fulbright Scholarship and Fulbright Scholarship, 2007 Joseph Hirsh The City College of Erica Seppala Thurgood Marshall Macaulay Honors College New York Hunter College Scholarship, 2005 Mitsy Chanel-Blot at Queens College Macaulay Honors College Fulbright Scholarship and Fulbright Scholarship, 2006 Van Tran at Hunter College National Science Barry M. Goldwater Eugene Shenderov Hunter College Foundation Graduate Scholarship, 2005 National Science Brooklyn College Paul & Daisy Soros Research Fellowship, 2008 Foundation Graduate Sarah Osewait Rhodes Scholarship, 2005 Fellowship for New Americans, 2004 Research Fellowship, 2008 James Jackson Hunter College Claudio Simpkins Hunter College Vanessa Crevecoeur Fulbright Scholarship, 2006 Macaulay Honors College Kojo Wallace York College Fulbright Scholarship, 2005 Ianna Owen at The City College of Bronx Community College UNCF-Merck Tennessee Jones Macaulay Honors College New York Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Science CUNY Baccalaureate, at Hunter College Harry S. Truman Transfer Scholarship, 2008 Research Award, 2006 Hunter College Ford Foundation Scholarship, 2005 Deborah M. Wolf Jacob Javits Fellowship, Christine Curella Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, Mark A. Smiley Macaulay Honors College Macaulay Honors College 2008 2008 Baruch College at The City College of at Hunter College Matthew MacLean Margaret Park Jack Kent Cooke New York Harry S. Truman Brooklyn College Hunter College Foundation Graduate Jacob Javits Fellowship, Scholarship, 2007 Fulbright Scholarship, 2006 Fulbright Scholarship, 2008 Scholarship, 2007 2006

BENNO C. SCHMIDT, JR. MATTHEW GOLDSTEIN Chairperson, Board of Trustees Chancellor

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