QView #154 | May 9, 2023

The fifth annual Reimagining Science & Technology Education Conference on Friday, April 28—hosted by Salvatore Garofalo (SEYS), Stephen Farenga (SEYS), Gopal Subramaniam (Chemistry), and David Laurenson (SEYS)—brought junior high and high school science teachers and their students to campus for workshops. President Frank H. Wu offered greetings; New York University astrophysicist David Hogg (above) gave a keynote on what came before the Big Bang.

Frank Yu ’94, founder, chief executive officer, and chief investment officer of global health care investment manager Ally Bridge Group and a trustee at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, spoke with Luc Marest (Economics) on Monday, May 1, through Professionals on Campus (POC). The POC series is presented by the Office of Institutional Advancement.

In a hybrid panel discussion held on May 1 at Powdermaker Hall 121 and on Zoom, Political Science faculty and students delved into the politics of the Trump indictment.

From left: Political Science faculty Alexander Reichl, Mona Kleinberg, Vanessa Perez

Congresswoman Grace Meng’s DC-based Chief of Staff Maeve Healy and Legislative Director Mark Olson stopped by campus on Tuesday, May 2, as part of their tour of organizations in Meng’s district. Their QC itinerary included stops at the Tech Incubator, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and Wastewater Epidemiology Training Laboratory and a conversation with Business School Dean Kate Pechenkina and her team. The SBDC, WETLab, and B-school have received significant support from Representative Meng, whose congressional district includes Queens College.

From left: Liza Marquez (External and Governmental Relations), Mark Olson, Maeve Healy, Daniel Weinstein (School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences)

Kessler Scholars Program founders Fred Wilpon and his wife Judy Kessler; Chrystie Claire Greene, director of the Kessler Scholars Program at Queens College; and Gail Gibson, executive director of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, were in attendance at the Kessler Scholars Award and Recognition Ceremony on May 2. In 2020, Queens College became the first public college in New York State to participate in the Kessler program, which supports first-generation college students.

Above: QC administrators and faculty—including Interim Associate Provost of Innovation and Student Success Nathalia Holtzman, Jennifer Jarvis (Student Affairs and Enrollment Management), Taruna Sadhoo (Honors and Scholarships, Macaulay Honors College) and at the podium, President Frank H. Wu—shared a photo op with Fred Wilpon, Chrystie Claire Greene, keynote speaker and adjunct Richard Celestin ’02, and the college's Kessler Scholars.

Above, right: Fred Wilpon in conversation after the ceremony

President Frank H. Wu dropped by Klapper Hall on Wednesday, May 3, for an overall picture of the work taking place in the Photography and Imaging Department.

(From left) Matthew Greco (Photography and Imaging), Antonio Gonzalez (Photography and Imaging), Isaiah Coleman, President Frank H. Wu, Joshua Bassoo, Mackenzie Taller, (kneeling) Mario Gonzales, Alex Tirado, Linda Jackson (CLT Digital Lab), Christabel Huezo

Medgar Evers College President Patricia Ramsey enjoyed a lab tour and discussions with faculty and staff on May 3, at the invitation of President Wu. A biologist by training, Ramsey has a research interest in the biological activity of plants used in folklore; she has collected 110 species of agave in the Sonoran Desert and has traveled a 450-mile span of highway collecting Sapium sebiferum (popcorn tree) leaves in the southeastern United States.

Above, from left: President Frank H. Wu, Medgar Evers College President Patricia Ramsey, Zeco Krcic (Facilities, Planning and Operations)

Below, from left: Maral Tajerian (Biology), Medgar Evers College President Patricia Ramsey

Resident students enjoyed a pre-finals celebration at The Summit Apartments on May 3.

A presentation by acclaimed investment sales broker James Nelson, author of Insider’s Edge to Real Estate Investing, was the main course at the latest QC Business Breakfast, served on the morning of May 4 at the Q-Side Lounge.

Becoming Unbound, a group show featuring MFA candidates at QC, opened at Culture Lab Gallery in Long Island City on Thursday, May 4. Niama Safia Sandy curated the exhibition, which comprises work by Amber Doniere, Ari Wolff, brandon king, Bryan Fox, Caitlin McDonagh, Eugenie Chao, fruit bat & the flesh (Ris Aguilo-Cuadra), Guin Ellsworth, Lia Embil, Natalie Raskin, Sachi Yasuda, Sediq Kholdi, Valesca LaFrance, and Vee Tineo. Becoming Unbound will run through May 28.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Fittingly, the Kupferberg Center for the Arts fielded an army of performers for its inaugural Festival Del Son on the afternoon of Saturday, May 6. Through four ensembles, nearly 50 musicians and dancers appeared on the Colden Auditorium stage. President Frank H. Wu welcomed everyone remotely through a special video presentation; Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price provided in-person greetings. Jorge Islas López, consul general of Mexico in New York, brought greetings and Marta Ornelas Guerrero, tourism secretary of the State of Puebla, represented the governor at the event.

New York State Senator Leroy Comrie was among the speakers at District 28’s principal legislative breakfast, held on Friday, May 5, in the Student Union. Dean Bobbie Kabuto brought greetings on behalf of the School of Education.

Commencement Chief Marshall and Professor Emeritus Allan Ludman is seen preparing for his role at the 99th Queens College graduation ceremonies on June 1. Ludman served in QC's School of Environmental Sciences and the CUNY Graduate Center for 47 years and held a number of academic administrator positions in service to the college.

Because April showers left the Quad too soggy for Spring Fest on May 1, the annual campus carnival took place on May 8 instead. The celebrants had a great time with fun rides and games

Baseball Heading to ECC Playoffs      

The Queens College baseball team capped off an outstanding regular season last week, finishing with a 29-16 record and tying the school record for victories in a season. They will now head to the East Coast Conference (ECC) playoffs this week as the #3 seed, where they will take on St. Thomas Aquinas College in the opening round on Thursday, May 11, at 3 pm. All playoff games for the double elimination tournament will be held at Mitchell Field in Uniondale, New York.

The other first-round match-up features top-seed and defending ECC Champion Molloy University versus #4-seed Mercy College. The rest of the weekend’s match-ups will be determined after the opening round, and the playoffs will conclude with the championship game on Saturday. The Knights are seeking to end their championship drought and capture their first conference title since 1998. All the games can be watched live on the ECC Sports Network.

Last week, the softball team concluded their 2023 season. The Knights made a deep run in the ECC playoffs, topping Molloy University in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament. But Molloy would later get revenge as they came back to eliminate the Knights just one game shy of the championship game.

The track and field teams also competed at the ECC Championships last week with both the men’s and women’s teams placing fifth. Several Knights earned individual medals at the championship. For the men, Damilola Babalola earned second place in the 110 hurdles, Matthew Castro was third in the javelin, and the 4x100 relay team placed second. On the women’s side, Khareena Primus was third in the 100-meter dash and second in the 200-meter dash, Fattima Morrobel placed third in the 800-meters, Madelyn McMath was second in the javelin, and Bianca Hiltz earned third-place finishes in the 100-hurdles and triple jump. The 4x100 and 4x400 teams also finished third.

For the latest Knights’ athletics news, be sure to visit queensknights.com.

Observing AAPI Heritage Month

Since May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, QC is celebrating AAPI histories and futures today—Tuesday, May 9, from 12:15 to 1:30 pm—at the Muyskens Conference Room in The Summit Apartments. Here’s a chance to connect with AAPI students, faculty, and staff; meet campus and community leaders; learn more about the Queens College AANAPISI Project (QCAP) and the Asian American/Asian Research Institute (AA/ARI); and enjoy delicious food from local Asian eateries.

This event is cosponsored by QCAP and AA/ARI.

Thinking about the Unthinkable

Anywhere they occur—a campus, a store, a house of worship, a block party—mass shootings cause tremendous loss and lasting trauma. To give people strategies for protecting themselves in these circumstances, the Office of Communications and Marketing and the Office of Public Safety collaborated with the Department of Drama and Theater on Active Shooter Preparedness. The video, filmed on campus a few years ago using student and faculty actors, has been updated and features comments by President Frank H. Wu and Interim Public Safety Director Deborah Huggins.

Around the Edges at the Garage

The latest exhibition at the Garage Art Center, a gallery founded and directed by artist and Godwin-Ternbach staffer Stephanie Lee, is Around the Edges. A solo show of work by abstract visual artist Richard Keen, Edges includes small-format paintings that visitors can reposition, sliding them along a track installed in the space. (Visitors will be required to wear hand protection.) According to the Garage Art Center, “This connection to the artwork will create a more engaging experience for viewers and eliminate the stigma of artwork being too valuable to touch.” On June 4, the closing date of the exhibition, Keen will lead a 90-minute workshop in abstract drawing. Cardboard, paper, spray fix, and other basic supplies will be provided; participants are encouraged to bring flat/non-precious objects to draw on, around, or trace.

Admission to the Garage Art Center and the workshop is free, but advance registration is required. 

Noteworthy Performances Involving ACSM Faculty

This month, two members of the ACSM faculty are showcasing their talents off campus.

Edward Smaldone’s Prendendo Fuoco for piano and orchestra will be performed twice. Niklas Sivelöv will play a piano-only version of this composition at his recital on Sunday, May 21, at 5 pm, at the Landmark Theater in Port Washington, New York. On Thursday, May 25, at 8 pm, at the Miller Theater at Columbia University, Sivelöv will solo in in the full orchestra version, under Smaldone’s baton. 

Magdalena Filipczak, a violinist in the doctoral program at the CUNY Graduate Center, will be performing at Weill Recital Hall on May 30 at 8 pm. Her program features Phantasies by Franz Schubert, Henryk Wieniawski, and Arnold Schönberg, as well as the world premiere of Cherchant, written by Stephen Coxe and dedicated to Filipczak. She will be playing an instrument made by 17th century luthier Francesco Rugeri, loaned to her through Beare's International Violin Society.

Bruce-Michael Gelbert ’73

Gay rights advocate, writer, and photographer Bruce-Michael Gelbert passed away on March 4 at the age of 71.

As a student, Gelbert joined Gay People at Queens College as well as the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA). After graduating from QC, he worked at the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop—the first dedicated queer bookstore on the East Coast—and for New York State Attorney General Bob Abrams.

As vice chair of GAA’s Community Relations Committee, Gelbert fostered the launch of LGBTQ groups throughout the New York area and called attention to gay issues by organizing street fairs in front of the alliance’s community center on Wooster Street. He published articles and photos in LGBTQ outlets, including QonStage.com, NewYorkQNews.com, and the Fire Island News. A talented singer, he participated in community theater and frequented piano bars. He is also remembered for his love of opera, Anne Rice novels, the ”Perry Mason” series, and “Jeopardy.”

Gelbert was predeceased by his long-time partner Joe Ragocsy and his best friend, Greg Klosek. He is survived by his husband Joe Saporito. 

Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (Media Studies) was awarded the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, an unrestricted $75,000 prize given annually to risk-taking midcareer artists working in the fields of dance, film/video, music, theatre, and the visual arts) . . . . Imani Mosley ’07 wrote “Charles III’s Coronation: Music That Made Kings and Queens”, published in the New York Times . . . . Donna Orender ’78 was the subject of a profile in First Coast News, which described her as a trailblazer in women’s sports . . . . President Frank H. Wu gave the keynote at the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s second annual Ethnic and Race Studies Conference on April 27 . . . . A show of 3D-printed models designed by students in Christopher Hanusa’s course in mathematical computing just opened in Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library. The exhibition is on view through graduation.