Discimus ut serviamus: We learn so that we may serve.

QView #223 | March 17

The Queens College Mathematical Discovery Series brought 2010 Fields Medalist Elon Lindenstrauss (Institute of Advanced Study) to campus on Wednesday, March 11, for a talk about the ways multiplication by two differs from multiplication by three.

From left: Mathematics Chair Scott Wilson, Elon Lindenstrauss, Mathematics Professor Dragomir Saric

The Aaron Copland School of Music threw itself a fete on March 12. A party was followed by a talk and a performance by the Queens College Orchestra in Colden Hall.

Perfect Season Continues for Men’s Tennis Team

The Queens College men’s tennis team continued its perfect season with a pair of victories last week. They blanked Franklin Pierce University, 7–0, on Monday and then bested Southern New Hampshire, 5–2, on Friday. Queens is now 8–0 on the season.

That perfect record will be tested this week, as the Knights host three matches: Chestnut Hill College on Tuesday at 1 pm, Daemen University on Friday at 1:30 pm, and the University of the District of Columbia on Saturday at 7 pm.

The women’s tennis team also found the win column last week, defeating Adelphi, 5–2, on Thursday to improve to 7–3 on the season. They’ll welcome Daemen to campus for a match on Friday at 1:30 pm.

On the diamond, both the baseball and softball teams picked up victories last week.

On Wednesday, the QC baseball team scored three runs in the eighth inning to rally past Adelphi, 9–8. Then on Friday, the Knights defeated Molloy, 2–0, thanks to a pitching gem from Michael Vilardi, who tossed a shutout while allowing just five hits over seven innings. QC is now 4–8 on the season. They will host the College of Staten Island in a doubleheader on Friday at 12 pm and then visit St. Thomas Aquinas for two games on Sunday at 4 pm. 



The softball team also earned two wins as they finished their Florida trip strong. On Thursday, QC topped Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 8–5, and then routed Lake Erie College, 14–6 later that day. The Knights (2–7) will now return home to host Caldwell University in their home opener on Thursday at 2 pm.

Be sure to visit queensknights.com for the latest athletics news, stats, and schedules.

Continuing To Go to Bat for Bats

A new study, conducted in Vietnam by an international research team co-led by Joanna Coleman (Biology), documents how Asia’s painted wooly bats (Kerivoula picta or K. picta) are exploited for local and global trade. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) classifies the bats as Near-Threatened. Their striking black and orange markings make them desirable for sale as framed or mounted specimens; they are used as home décor and personal ornaments. 

Coleman co-led a previous study (QView 183) that found that online marketplaces like Etsy and e-Bay facilitated the global trade in K. picta. The paper’s publication resulted in more stringent monitoring of online vendors. For the new study, the team surveyed shops in Ho Chi Minh City, interviewed vendors, and did a comprehensive legislative review to try to ascertain whether the trade is even legal. 

“Our research shows that painted woolly bats are the most popular species in Ho Chi Minh City’s ornamental bat trade,” says Coleman. “These specimens appear to be hunted in the wild in Vietnam, where they are already very hard to find in their natural habitats surrounding the city. Because these bats are mainly marketed to foreign tourists, we see an urgent need to strengthen laws that protect wildlife from trade not just in Vietnam, but also internationally, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the United States Endangered Species Act.”

“Through her innovative research, Professor Coleman continues to expose a trade in Asian bats that threatens their continued existence,” says Queens College President Frank H. Wu. “Her work highlights not only the ecological costs of species loss, but also the need for people and nations to act more urgently to protect wildlife.”

The study will be published next month in Global Ecology and Conservation.

Artistic Dialogue

This week, a ceramics exhibition, Five Conversations, is taking place in Klapper Hall’s fourth-floor gallery. The show, curated by Sin-Ying Ho (Studio Art), features work by students, alumni, and faculty who participate in Ceramics Community Fridays, regular gatherings of artists at different stages of their creative journeys. Viewers can join Conversations at its reception tonight—Tuesday, March 17—from 5 to 8 pm. The show will run through March 20.

St. Patrick’s Day in Queens

Everyone is Irish today, Tuesday, March 17.

The New York Irish Center (10-40 Jackson Avenue,* Long Island City 11101) is marking St. Patrick’s Day with 40 Shades of Green, a six-hour festival of music and dance sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Performances start at 3 pm.

*Earlier this year, that section of Jackson Avenue was named New York Irish Center Way.

Knight News Series Presents Documentary Filmmaker

The Knight News Visiting Journalists Series will feature award-winning producer, director, writer and content developer Amy Bucher on March 18, 12:15–1:30 pm, in Powdermaker Hall 117.

Bucher served as executive producer of the CNN documentary series “This is Life with Lisa Ling” for nine seasons. She received the Edward R. Murrow Award for directing “Child Brides Stolen Lives,” a collaboration with journalist Maria Hinojosa, and an International Documentary Association Award and an Emmy for directing “A Walk to Beautiful,” about several Ethiopian women getting medical treatment for devastating childbirth injuries.

Bucher has asked attendees to prepare for this event by watching her 50-minute Frontline documentary, After Uvalde: Guns, Grief, and Texas Politics.

Some Are Thinking about Summer

Here’s a hot tip for students: earn up to fifteen credits by attending Summer Session at QC and still enjoy vacation time. Choose from hundreds of courses in in-person, hybrid, and online formats. Classes last four or seven weeks and start as early as June 1. 

Celebrating Local She-roes

Ever wonder about the namesake of a park, building, or street? Queens Name Explorer, a project of the Queens Public Library, is an interactive digital map that allows users to click on a borough landmark and learn whom it honors. For Women’s History Month, Queens Name Explorer and partners have prepared two virtual shows: The Stories Behind Their Names: Queens Women in Action and The Women Who Shaped Us. Together, these exhibitions document more than 20 women, including Margaret Kiely and alumna Helen Marshall.

Richard Buchter ’69

Retired New York State Supreme Court Richard Lance Buchter Justice passed away on December 11, 2025, at the age of 77.

Buchter majored in economics at QC and taught elementary school while attending St. John’s Law School at night. After graduating, he served as an assistant district attorney in Queens and principal law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Ann B. Dufficy. Then he became a judge himself, first at New York City Civil Court and then acting justice of the Queens County Supreme Court. Elected a Supreme Court Justice in 1993, he stepped down 27 years later.

Buchter enjoyed tennis, golf, and Scrabble, followed the New York Yankees and the Giants, and routinely walked his dogs in Alley Pond Park. He is survived by his wife, their son, daughter, and son-in-law, and two granddaughters. In his memory, the Assistant District Attorney’s Association of Queens County will present an annual Commitment to Justice Award.

David Speidel

David Speidel, SEES professor emeritus, passed away on March 9. He was 87.

Speidel, who earned his PhD in geochemistry at Penn State University, was a one-man institution at Queens College, where he worked for nearly 37 years. “David was a greatly respected professor emeritus known for his exemplary contributions to geochemistry and petrology, as well as his roles in academic and administrative leadership,” said President Frank H. Wu. One of the first faculty members in what was then the Geology Department, Speidel went on to serve the college in multiple administrative positions: dean of the Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, dean of Research and Graduate Studies, provost, and head of the Academic Senate. His published works include the textbook The Natural Chemistry of Our Environment.

In retirement, he continued to attend SEES seminars and campus events and make himself available to younger colleagues. He was active in the QC Retirees Association and edited its newsletter.

Speidel is survived by his brother Richard. 

István Baloga ’03 was profiled by Hungarian Conservative magazine about his education at QC, where he played water polo, and his current position teaching swimming, hydrokinetic therapy, water sports, and sport management at the university level in his native Transylvania . . . . Edward Knudsen (History) is the co-founder of the NYC Revolutionary Trail, a project of the Gotham Center for New York City History. In June, NYC Revolutionary Trail will release its mobile, geolocated immersive walking tour, which will allow visitors to experience events from the founding of the United States in the lower Manhattan sites where they occurred . . . . Iwona Korga MLS ’08, president and executive director of the Pilsudski Institute of America, received her sash as grand marshal of the Pulaski Day Parade in a ceremony in January. The parade will take place on the first Sunday in October. The event commemorates Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski, a cavalry general who volunteered his services to George Washington and died in 1779 while defending Savannah . . . . 

AAARI's Localized History Project (K-12 AAPI Curriculum project), led by former high school history teacher Shreya Sunderram, was featured in the Queens Ledger. . . . Queens College President Frank H. Wu made the City and State Queens 100 List; he appears in the 26th spot.