News

Catherine Seavitt Nordenson says environmentally friendly ‘soft infrastructure’ mitigates flood damage without sending harm elsewhere The flooding in New York and New Jersey caused by Superstorm Sandy prompted calls from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other officials to consider building storm surge barriers to protect Lower Manhattan from future catastrophes. But, such a strategy could make things even worse for outlying areas that were hit hard by the hurricane, such as Staten Island, the New Jersey Shore and Long Island’s South Shore, a City College of New York landscape architecture professor warns

Harriet Alonso’s Book is First on Legendary Lyricist in Two Decades City College of New York Professor of History Harriet H. Alonso has written the first biography in nearly two decades of E. Y. “Yip” Harburg (1896-1981), the CCNY alumnus who enriched the Great American Songbook with such tunes as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” In “Yip Harburg: Legendary Lyricist and Human Rights Activist,” released November 12 by Wesleyan University Press, Professor Alonso, explores Harburg’s life and commitment to social justice through his own words. “I’ve been a Yip

CCNY scientist constructs fine-scale projections of how warming will alter the island Global climate models abound. What is harder to pin down, however, is how a warmer global temperature might affect any specific region on Earth. Dr. Marco Tedesco, associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at The City College of New York, and a colleague have made the global local. Using a regional climate model and the output of three global climate models, they can predict how different greenhouse gas scenarios would change the face of Greenland over the next century and how this would impact

The City College of New York History Department will host a multimedia presentation November 13 to introduce “Flight to Freedom: The Mission Behind Mission US,” a new and innovative educational tool for teaching history to students in grades 5-9. Pennee Bender, associate director of the American Social History Project (ASHP) at CUNY will be the speaker, 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m., in CCNY’s NAC building room 5/144. The presentation is free and open to the public. City College is located at 138th Street and Convent Avenue, Manhattan. Ms. Bender served as content advisor for “Mission US,” an

Wolfgang Ketterle Speaks on "Superfluid gases near absolute zero temperature" This lecture has been cancelled due to complications following Superstorm Sandy Physics Nobel Laureate Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle will deliver the Inaugural Cummins Lecture at the City College of New York 4 p.m. Thursday, November 1, 2012. Dr. Ketterle – whose research explores the bizarre world of ultracold matter – will discuss "Superfluid gases near absolute zero temperature." The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place in room 95, the recital hall, Shepard Hall. A reception will precede the

Townsend Harris Medals Presented to Seven at November 8 Annual Dinner Philanthropist and healthcare entrepreneur Bert Brodsky,’64, will receive the 65th John H. Finley Award from The Alumni Association of The City College of New York. Named for CCNY’s third president, the award honors deserving New Yorkers for exemplary service to the city. He and seven recipients of the Townsend Harris Medal will be feted at the Association’s 132nd Annual Dinner, Thursday, November 8, at The New York Hilton. The Harris Medal is named for City College’s founder and recognizes outstanding post-graduate

Participates in National Academy event for early-career faculty to promote innovative teaching approaches Dr. Marco Castaldi, associate professor of chemical engineering in the Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York, designs courses the same way he engineers a new piece of research equipment: assemble the fundamental parts, study how existing models operate, reimagine the models, then, do lots of hands-on building. “Engineering is so much ‘doing’ that there has to be that hands-on experience,” he said, recalling a quote from Confucius: “I hear, I forget. I see, I remember

“Colonial Latin American Review” showcases interdisciplinary scholarship on period; Events at CCNY, Graduate Center at CUNY fete publication In 1992, the world marked the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of America. That year, a new journal began publication featuring fresh and exciting directions in scholarship of the era that followed and lasted until the Latin American independence movement began in the early 19th century. “Colonial Latin American Review” (CLAR) was created to begin an interdisciplinary dialogue and connect the various disciplines developing new

Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch to Deliver Keynote Address “Ensuring All Students Succeed,” a two-day conference that brings together parents/caregivers, educators, community organizations, family advocates, and elected officials to discuss educational policies, effective collaboration between home and school, and “best practice” strategies for facilitating the educational success of children, will take place October 12 – 13 in The Great Hall, Shepard Hall, of The City College of New York. The conference, which is free and open to the public, offers keynote addresses, panel

Monograph on 18th century philosopher Giambattista Vico explores urban origin of views on right to social development Dr. Barbara Ann Naddeo, City College associate professor of history, is the winner of the 2011 Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History for “Vico and Naples: The Urban Origins of Modern Social Theory,” published by Cornell University Press. A significant achievement for a historian, the prize, named for Columbia University historian and cultural critic Jacques Barzun, has been awarded annually since 1993 by the American Philosophical Society (APS) to the author or authors whose