Keuka Magazine
National Medal of Science Recipient to Deliver Fribolin Lecture
Dr. Richard A. Tapia, recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers, will deliver the 24th Annual Carl and Fanny Fribolin Lecture Friday, May 4 at Keuka College.
One of the highlights of May Day Weekend, Tapia will speak at 6:30 p.m. in Norton Chapel. It is free and open to the public.
The lecture series carries the names of Geneva resident Carl Fribolin, an emeritus member of the College’s Board of Trustees and recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2004, and his late wife.
“Richard is very well known for his major academic achievements and contributions to the advancement of mathematics, particularly computational math, but he is also a giant in diversifying these academic fields, that are notoriously lacking in this regard,” said Keuka President Dr. Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera. “He is credited with bringing ethnic minorities and women into computing and related fields in substantial numbers and with great successes at the Ph.D. level. Wide dissemination of successful efforts to address under-representation is featured at his bi-annual conference, the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference, which focuses on showcasing work of excellence in mathematics and computing by minority researchers.”
Down Under with the Animals
Not just any old zoo will do. Nope. Janelle Davidson headed halfway ‘round the world to get an up-close-and-personal look at the kangaroos, wallabies, and other exotic animals at Sydney Wildlife World in Australia this month.
The Cortland resident was set to endure 20 hours of travel time before arriving in Australia just after the New Year’s holiday for a short-term tour of the country and its exotic wildlife. A senior biology major, Davidson was eager to get started on this, her first trip outside the continental U.S. She also planned to visit the University of Melbourne’s veterinary school to compare and contrast what those Down Under learn about animal diseases and care-taking.
“My hope with this Field Period is to see what it’s like working with those exotic, almost-extinct animals, and decide [a focus on small or large animals] by the time I go off to vet school in the fall,” said Davidson, who is interested in a veterinary career. “Right now, I have the most experience with small animals, but I’m really interested in zoo animals, such as tigers, lions, koalas, kangaroos – not ones that everybody gets to work with.”
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President Praises Cuomo’s Spending Plan
There is good news for higher education in New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget for 2012-13.
Cuomo’s spending plan call for full funding for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), opportunity programs (HEOP, STEP/C-STEP, Liberty Partnerships) and Direct Institutional “Bundy” Aid.
“I commend Gov. Cuomo for recognizing the vital role Keuka College and other colleges and universities play in our state’s economic revival,” said College President Dr. Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera. “I am particularly pleased the governor has retained the maximum $5,000 award available through TAP, an aid program so critical to many of our students realizing their dream of a Keuka degree.”
Other programs Cuomo proposes to fund at last year’s levels include High Needs Nursing ($941,000), Teacher Opportunity Program ($450,000) and Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness and Senator Pat McGee Nursing Scholarships ($3.93 million). These programs work respectively to alleviate the nursing and teacher shortages throughout the State.
The State and City Universities were also level-funded, as well as community colleges.
Day of Service Honors Dr. King
For some, Martin Luther King Day was a day off.
However, for others—including some 60 members of the Keuka College and Penn Yan communities—their day off turned out to be a day on. The volunteers turned out to participate in various community service projects to mark the birthday of the slain civil rights leader.
The event was organized by Keuka College criminal justice majors Danielle Gravel and Cortney Chamberlain to celebrate the Jan. 16 federal holiday.
Experiential Learner of the Month Sean Mullen Exceeds Expectations
Sean Mullen
Sean Mullen, a resident of Rochester and senior at School Without Walls (SWW), received Keuka College’s Experiential Learner of the Month Award for December.
Keuka, the national leader in experiential, hands-on learning, established the program to honor high school students whose commitment to experiential, hands-on learning has made a difference in their communities.
Mullen will receive a partial academic fellowship to Keuka and qualify for the Experiential Learner of the Year Award, which carries a full academic fellowship to the College.
Teaching Sign Language in Senegal
Nicole Caparulo makes the sign for "Africa," an arc of the hand from left to right.
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of features on recipients of the Judith Oliver Brown Memorial Award.
Keuka junior Nicole Caparulo of Corning is combining her interests in special education and sign language this month by conducting a Field Period internship at a residential school for deaf children in Senegal, West Africa.
Caparulo is a unified childhood/special education major with a concentration in American Sign Language (ASL), and discovered the West African school through Martha French, associate professor of education. A friend of French’s, Dr. Angela Bednarczyk, worked 20 years at Galludet University’s Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, and now works as assistant to the educational director at the Renaissance School for the Deaf (L’Ecole Renaissance des Sourds) in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal.
According to Bednarczyk, the Renaissance School for the Deaf was founded in 2007 and follows the Senegalese national curriculum with instruction based on the use of the Francophone West African sign language. The school serves 35 students and has five classrooms, five teachers, and a deaf teacher in training. Each year, students attend whose ages range from 4 to 16.
Caparulo said she expects some elements of ASL will carry over to the sign language used in Senegal, but compared it more to a dialect.
“I am very interested in deaf education, special education, diversity and being open and accepting differences and ways to do things. That plays a major part in education, because you need to be able to do things and experience them,” said Caparulo.
“Special education teaching just stands out for me, along with sign language,” she added. “It’s such a beautiful language, how could I not be drawn to it? It’s always been a passion and now I have an opportunity to learn about it. I’m taking advantage of that. (more…)
A Day On, Not a Day Off
Some folks view Martin Luther King Day as a day off.
Not so Keuka College students Danielle Gravel and Cortney Chamberlain. Reflecting the College’s historical commitment to social responsibility, the sophomore criminal justice majors have organized a community day of service Monday, Jan. 16 to mark the federal holiday.
“I participated in the MLK Day of Service last year and wanted to be more involved this year,” said Gravel, a resident of Sidney.
So did Chamberlain.
“I did some cleaning at the Once Again Shoppe last year, and now I have the opportunity to help organize the event,” said the Perry resident.
Danielle Gravel, left, and Cortney Chamberlain.
“Danielle and Cortney are fast learners and I am delighted with the job they have done organizing and promoting the MLK Day of Service,” said Chevy DeVaney, director of multicultural affairs and chair of a committee that coordinated the event designed to benefit local non-profit organizations.
Sandi Perl, supervised ministry student in the Office of Campus Ministries. also serves on the committee.
Volunteers will gather at Penn Yan Methodist Church at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and be placed into groups. After a welcome from DeVaney, volunteers will head to various sites, including Clinton Crest Manor, the Once Again Shoppe, or remain at the church.
In addition, members of Keuka’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will conduct a hoop clinic at Penn Yan Middle School.
Volunteers will return to the church at 12:30 p.m. for lunch.
The third annual event at Keuka comes three months before Celebrate Service… Celebrate Yates, a day of community service organized by Keuka students and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce. It has helped dozens of non-profit organizations and agencies enhance the quality of life in the region for the past 14 years.
Dr. King and Keuka College have a connection dating back nearly 39 years. He delivered the baccalaureate address and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree June 16, 1963. He was accompanied to Keuka Park by his wife, Coretta Scott King.
To register for the day of service, or for more information, contact Chamberlain at cechamberlain@keuka.edu, Gravel at dgravel@keuka.edu, or the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (315) 279-5225.
Saving Turtles and Taking Photos
Courtney French
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of features on recipients of the Judith Oliver Brown Memorial Award.
Junior Courtney French wants to be a photographer for National Geographic someday, and her January Field Period—working with Global Volunteer Network’s (GVN) Turtle Project program in Costa Rica—could bring her one step closer to realizing that dream.
Photographs by French, a visual and verbal art major from Massena, were featured in the student art gallery in Hegeman Hall. The images were taken in and around Penn Yan.
“Traveling to Costa Rica and helping with the Turtle Project will help me improve my photography portfolio because it will be much more diverse than photos I have taken previously,” said French. “I will photograph the beauty of the reptiles and the country throughout the trip.”
Her duties with GVN will include providing support to biologists involved in the conservation of the Olive Ridley turtles’ nesting grounds for 14 days. Considered the most abundant sea turtle in the world, an estimated 800,000 Olive Ridley females nest annually.
“These elegant animals are becoming endangered due to natural predators and poachers,” said French. “I will work side-by-side with locals and biologists at the turtle hatcheries and nesting sites. and go on nightly beach patrols, tag turtles, relocate nests into hatcheries, count eggs and turtles, and help with beach reforestation efforts.”
Overseen by the Costa Rican government, the Turtle Project includes a sustainable egg harvesting program that feeds or provides income to the local communities, and is designed to prevent other forms of harvesting and poaching.
“I will also have the opportunity to live among the local villagers of San Jose, Costa Rica,” said French. “I think this will be hard, but definitely an experience I will never forget. It will broaden my horizons as an individual, and make me a better-rounded person.”
In addition, French will take Spanish lessons at Maximo Nivel, which is at the GVN international headquarters in San Jose.
French has “always had a strong passion” for traveling and learning about foreign cultures.
“I decided on Costa Rica because I always wanted to travel to Central and South America,” she explained. “Also, my favorite flower, the bird of paradise, is abundant in Costa Rica.”
French has been to the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec and “all over” the East Coast.
“My favorite place would have to be on top of the high peaks in the Adirondacks,” said French. “I completed a two-day hike in the Adirondacks that measured about 16 miles, and covered three mountains—Algonquin, Whales Tail, and Iroquois—and we were able to trench through Avalanche Pass.”
Her next adventure?
“Hopefully,” she said, “to Ecuador or Tanzania.”
Cultural Immersion: Senior to Travel through Europe
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of features on recipients of the Judith Oliver Brown Memorial Award.
Heather Graff
This month, senior Heather Graff will travel to several countries in Europe as part of her fifth Field Period.
Four are required for graduation.
“I decided to complete a fifth Field Period because this will be an entirely different opportunity than my other Field Periods,” said the unified childhood/special education major from Amsterdam. “I believe I should get as much out of my time at Keuka as I can, and my fifth Field Period, where I will travel around Europe, is the perfect culmination of my work at Keuka College.”
While at Keuka, she has “learned how valuable experiential hands-on learning is, and I am excited to take it to an international level.”
With that in mind, Graff will travel to such countries as England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Poland, and France.
“I believe this opportunity will help me gain a better understanding of these countries, their people, and cultures,” said Graff. “Through exploration of these countries, I will be able to see not only the difference in cultures, but the similarities in all people regardless of where they live. I hope to experience how people act and live in the various communities I visit by immersing myself into their day-to-day interactions and behavior.”
Graff intends to back-pack through Germany and France, travel by train, and stay at hostels to “get a better feel for the people in these countries.”
Graff also plans to compare the cultural differences between America and Europe by sampling local cuisines, visiting historical sites, and interacting with people.
“Many professions and jobs are becoming international,” said Graff. “I’d like to have some experience in some different countries in case an international job opportunity comes my way. I also think it is important to be culturally aware because classrooms are so diverse. If I can pull from experiences like this trip in my teaching, the topic may seem more exciting and relevant to the students.”
Keuka Theatre Prof Gives Back
Over his many years in theatrical directing, Mark Wenderlich has some experience in taking on new roles.
His latest – as the new executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Ontario County – adds another dimension to a career of service in a variety of “hands-on” positions.
According to Wenderlich, he first got involved with Habitat about 16 years ago, volunteering to build one of the organization’s homes. The organization’s ability to meet tangible needs in a concrete way appealed to him, he said.
“I was looking for a way to give back and doing something with my hands was appealing to me,” he said.
When he got to the house, he was put to work putting a lock on a door, and by day’s end, he was helping to finish the roof.
Then about six months ago, the Canandaigua resident noticed the old racquetball club property on County Road 10 had been revived as something called the “ReStore.” Curious, he stopped in and found new and gently used appliances, furniture and other home goods selling at prices 50-70% below retail in a building staffed primarily by volunteers. The organization running the venture? Habitat for Humanity.
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