http://www.oldwestbury.edu/ Campus News Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:06:01 EST By Steven Marcus Two inches short of 7 feet, SUNY-Old Westbury sophomore center Lester Prosper stands tall in ability and sensibilities' His engaging demeanor attracts young fans eager to meet him' Sports Illustrated acknowledged his achievements' A pro career may lie ahead' It is all in stark contrast to the life he has endured away from basketball' To read more of Newsday's coverage of Lester Prosper, <a href="http://www'newsday'com/sports/basketball/ny-spprosper305947104nov30,0,5032600'story">click here'</a> http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=410 Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST Kimberly Burke and Robin Petrizzo, both seniors majoring in biology at SUNY College at Old Westbury, earned awards for their poster presentations during the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held earlier this month Orlando, Florida' In all, 12 Old Westbury students participated in ABRCMS, which is in its eighth year' Each year the conference attracts approximately 1,650 undergraduate students, 280 graduate students, 30 postdoctoral scientists and 750 faculty and administrators' The event serves as the largest cross-disciplinary student research conference in the United States focusing on a variety of biomedical and behavioral sciences' Among the participants from Old Westbury were six students representing the College's Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program, four representing the Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program and two representing the Career Opportunities in Research (COR) program' Burke's presentation, titled "Identification and Contribution of Outer Membrane Porin Proteins to Carbapenem Resistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli Clinical Isolates" was recognized in the microbiological sciences category and described the results of her research conducted as a MARC participant' Petrizzo's work, "MALDI-MS Deep proteomics: finding new proteins using washing steps and novel matrices," was recognized in the molecular biological sciences category and described the results of her research conducted via the MHIRT program' Each student received an award from ABRCMS that included a $250 scholarship grant' Four other MARC students presented during the conference: Alicia Bowen on "The Effect of Schiff Base Protonation on Dark-State Wavelength of Siberian Hamster Ultraviolet Visual Pigment;" Brenda Marmol on "Enzymatic Catalytic Reaction in Y151F HSD Cells Grown With the Rv1106c Gene Known to Cause Myocbacterium Tuberculosis;" Ronald McHenry on "Molecular Anatomy Project: Organ System;" and Diana Pedroza on "Extracellular Superoxide Regulates The Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Induction Mediated By Vascular Growth Factor 1(VEGFR1) Receptor'" Also attending the conference was MARC student Nally Calzado' COR students Suhail Idrees and Sybil Andrieux presented their research on "The effect of Endomorphin 1and Endomorphin 2 on thermal avoidance behavior in Caenorhabdites elegans" during the program' In addition to Petrizzo, three MHIRT students participated in ABRCMS: Robina Osmani and George Medina presented their research, "Characterization of complement factors involved in nerve regeneration in Hirudo medicinalis;" and Diana Quinones presented "PI3K Synatoptogenic effects in larval neuromuscular junction and behavioral adaptation of Drosophila'" MARC Faculty Mentors Dr' Rita Colon-Urban and Dr' Manya Mascareno as well as Dr' Robert Hoyte, MARC Program Director, accompanied the students on the trip' The MHIRT and COR students were accompanied by their respective program directors, Dr' Fernando Nieto and Dr' Stephen Pryor' The MARC, MHIRT and COR programs are supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health' The ABRCMS is sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Division of Minority Opportunities in Research Program (MORE) and managed by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=409 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST The College Council of SUNY College at Old Westbury has scheduled a regular meeting for today, Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 10:30 a'm' in Multipurpose Room C of the College's Student Union' This meeting is open to the public' The agenda for the meeting will include a report from the Council Chair and a report from the College President' A live webcast of this meeting will be available by <a href="http://www'oldwestbury'edu/about/webcasts'cfm">visiting this page</a>' The Student Union is located on the 604-acre campus of SUNY College at Old Westbury and can be reached by entering the colleges main entrance on Route 107, exit 41 North of the Long Island Expressway' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=408 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST More than 1,200 students and families took the opportunity to learn more about the life- and career-fueling opportunities earned through a SUNY College at Old Westbury education when they participated on Sunday in the College's Fall Admissions Open House' "We are very pleased that so many people took the opportunity to meet with our faculty and staff and see what Old Westbury has to offer," said Mary Marquez Bell, Old Westbury's vice president for enrollment management' "For many of our current students, and for thousands of successful Old Westbury alumni, Open House was the beginning of a successful college search' We expect the same to true for so many of those who joined us on Sunday'" From its competitive Honors College to its unique First-Year Student Civic Engagement program, Old Westbury's growing reputation for quality is attracting high school and community college students from around the corner, around the state and around the world' <B>Applications for first-time-to-college students who hope to enter SUNY College at Old Westbury in fall 2009 are up 38 percent over the same period last year'</b> Those who visited campus on the sunny fall morning were able to meet with faculty, participate in admissions and academic workshops, and tour the College's 604-acre campus' To learn more about SUNY College at Old Westbury, contact the Office of Enrollment Services at (516) 876-3073 or via e-mail at enroll@oldwestbury'edu' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=403 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST On Thursday, November 13th, at 10 am, SUNY College at Old Westbury will host leading criminal justice professionals, legislators, academicians, practitioners, formerly incarcerated people, and concerned citizens in a forum focused on why restoring public funding for in prison college programs is worth the investment' College President Calvin O' Butts, III, will provide a keynote address at the forum' The program will also feature appearances by New York State Assemblyperson Deborah Glick, chair of the Higher Education Committee, and Assemblymember Jeffrion L' Aubry, chair of the corrections committee, who are leading legislative efforts to restore funding' Since 1994, inmates across the country have been denied access to federal Pell Grants -- small grants for low-income people to help pay for college -- essentially cutting off public support from Washington for college programs in prison' In 1995, then-governor George Pataki denied inmates access to New York's Tuition Assistance Program grants, effectively shutting down nearly all New York's 70 in-prison college programs' Despite years of research proving that higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people contributes to safer, more manageable prisons and significantly reduces recidivism rates, currently only eight programs in 16 facilities offer college courses to New York inmates' College and Community Fellowship, The Correctional Association of New York, The Fortune Society, and SUNY College at Old Westbury have organized a one-day event to bring this issue back into the spotlight' With the still relatively new administration in Albany, the current political landscape in New York looks promising for a change in higher education funding policy' New York's Department of Correctional Services Commissioner Brian Fischer, who strongly supports bringing college programs back into prisons, has gone on public record saying, "It is critical for our society to support higher education, both inside and outside the prison environment'" Organizers are drawing together people from across the Northeast to discuss the past, present, and future of college programming for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people' The forum will both include presentations on the substantial benefits such programs provide prisoners, prison staff, and society at large and offer a roadmap for citizens and legislators seeking winning strategies to restore public funding for college programs in prison' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=407 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST The School of Arts and Sciences at SUNY College at Old Westbury will launch its newest speaker series, "Alumni and Social Justice," with a presentation by Antigone Barton' A 1983 graduate of Old Westbury, Barton will discuss "New Media, HIV/AIDS and Social Justice" on Thursday, October 30, from 12:15 to 1:00 p'm' in Room S-100 of the Natural Science Building' Antigone Barton is a journalist who took a circuitous path from the study of Comparative History, Ideas and Cultures to the study of Caribbean brothels, prisons, and squatters' settlements' She began covering disease and disaster for The Palm Beach Post in 2000, and in 2004 examined the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Florida with a series of feature stories about local ZIP codes where the virus was spreading the fastest' In 2007, through a fellowship from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the International Center for Journalists, she traveled to Hispaniola to report on U'S'-funded efforts to fight the epidemic in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as on efforts denied that funding' She has attended and reported on International AIDS Conferences in Sydney, Australia and Mexico City' Her work has been recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, the United Stated AIDS Conference host committee, and the Florida Press Club' A recipient of a Knight Health Journalism Fellowship, Barton will travel to Zambia in January to spend the next year working with local journalists to expand coverage of public health issues' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=406 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST With the 2008 election for the U'S' Presidency in its closing weeks, National Public Radio this week is taking the time to chronicle a selection of unconventional presidential candidates in American history' Amanda Frisken, Ph'D', an associate professor of American Studies at SUNY College at Old Westbury, discussed Victoria Woodhull, the nation's first female candidate for president, on the October 13th edition of "Radio Diaries" during NPR's "All Things Considered'" Dr' Frisken authored the 2004 book, "Victoria Woodhull's Sexual Revolution: Political Theater and the Popular Press in Nineteenth Century America'" Woodhull ran in the 1872 election, at a time when most women did not have the right to vote' A radical advocate for woman's suffrage and sexual freedom, Woodhull never appeared on a ballot in the election that ultimately saw the re-election of Ulysses S' Grant' To hear the NPR "Radio Diaries" segment featuring Dr' Frisken, visit <a href="http://www'npr'org/templates/story/story'php?storyId=92479240">NPR's "Radio Diaries" online'</a> "Radio Diaries" is a nonprofit project that works with people to document their own lives -- in their own words -- for public radio: teens, seniors, prison inmates and others whose voices are rarely heard' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=404 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST The SUNY College at Old Westbury women's soccer team was honored on Monday as sophomore goal keeper Deborah Ciccarelli of St' James, New York, and freshman Cassandra Esposito of Valley Stream, New York, were named to the Skyline Conference Weekly Honor Roll' Ciccarelli stopped three shots as the Panthers defeated Mount Saint Vincent College, 4-1 to earn their fourth Skyline victory before recording seven saves in a 3-0 defeat to Rutgers-Newark' Ciccarelli averages 7'44 saves per game and allows 2'89 goals per game for a defense that surrenders 3'36 points per game' Esposito poured in her third hat trick of the season in leading the Panthers to victory over Mount Saint Vincent College' The freshman sensation leads the conference with 13 goals (1'18 goals per game) and 26 points (2'36 points per game)' The Skyline Conference Weekly Honor Roll award was the second of the year for both Ciccarelli and Esposito' Ciccarelli was honored on September 15th while Esposito was tabbed on September 8th' The Green and Ivory will return to action on Wednesday, October 15th at non-conference opponent College of Staten Island' Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p'm' Please visit www'oldwestburypanthers'com for more information on women's soccer or any of the other Panther athletic teams' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=405 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST Carmit Delman, author of "Burnt Bread and Chutney," will present a free public lecture at SUNY College at Old Westbury on Thursday, October 2, at 6:30 p'm' in the College's Campus Center' Delman's appearance is being held in conjunction with the common reading program of the College's First Year Experience for freshman students, which using "Burnt Bread and Chutney" as its cornerstone this fall' Her visit is made possible in part by support from the National Grid Foundation' "Our entire campus community is excited to welcome Carmit Delman," said College President Calvin O' Butts, III' "Through skillful writing and superb story telling, Ms' Delman's work has made our students reflect on issues related to religious traditions, family tensions, and social tribulations, and the complex process that takes place as we each seek our own true meaning'" Delman's work reflects on her life as a child from a world of which few are even aware' Her mother is a direct descendant of the Bene Israel, a tiny, ancient community of Jews thriving amidst the rich cultural tableau of Western India' Her father is American, a Jewish man of Eastern European descent' They met while working the land of a nascent Israeli state' Bound by love for each other and that newborn country, they hardly took notice of the interracial aspect of their union' But their daughter, the author, growing up in America, was well aware of her uncommon heritage' Named by School Library Journal as one of the 23 best "Adult Books for Young Adults" in 2003, "Burnt Bread and Chutney" juxtaposes Delman's memories of the sometimes painful, sometimes pleasurable, often awkward moments of her adolescence with mythic tales of her female ancestors living in the Indian-Jewish community' As rites and traditions, smells and textures intertwine, Delman's unique cultural identity evolves' It is a youth spent dancing on the roofs of bomb shelters on a kibbutz in Israel -- and the knowledge of a heritage marked by arranged marriages and archaic rules and roles' It is coming of age in Jewish summer camps and at KISS concerts -- and the inevitable combination of old and new: ancient customs and modern attitudes, Jewish, Indian, and American' American-born, she has lived in Ohio, New York, and Israel' After studying literature and anthropology at Brandeis University, she received an M'F'A' in creative writing from Emerson College' Currently she lives, teaches, and writes in Boston' http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=401 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST The economic and social impact of the current American health care system and a call for change are the focal points of the latest book edited by Martha Livingston, an associate professor in the Health and Society program at SUNY College at Old Westbury' "10 Excellent Reasons For National Health Care," outlines the potential for, and benefits of, a publicly funded health care system that offers coverage for all medical services from doctor visits, hospitalization, and long-term care to prescription drugs, dental care, and mental health' "With health care emerging as a crucial campaign issue in the upcoming presidential election, this book offers powerful ammunition in favor of a fundamental change to American health care and shows how we really can develop a comprehensive national health program for the United States," said Dr' Livingston, who served as co-editor on the project with Dr' Mary O'Brien, a board-certified attending physician at Columbia University Health Services and a faculty member at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons' Combining accessible writing with hard facts and shocking statistics, "10 Excellent Reasons For National Health Care" offers a powerful argument that the implementation of a single payer national health care system would be more inclusive, cost-effective, and simple than for-profit insurance companies today' The 176-page paperback, published by The New Press, features a foreword from U'S' Representative John Conyers and chapters written by leading physicians, health care professionals, policy makers, business-people, and labor organizers' "One out of every six dollars in the United States is spent on health care - that's twice as much as in other industrialized nations," said Livingston' "And yet, 47 million Americans still have no form of health coverage and an estimated 18,000 Americans die every year from treatable conditions because they were uninsured and could not afford timely care' As our nation considers the change in its leadership, we too must consider change in the way we care for ourselves and each other'" A resident of Flushing, Queens, Livingston has been a member of the Old Westbury faculty since 1990 and earned a Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003' In addition to her responsibilities at the College, she serves as vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the New York Metro chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program and as an editorial board member of the "Journal of Public Health Policy'" http://www.oldwestbury.edu/administrative/news_pop.cfm?id=400 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST