Rising Temps at the Bottom of the World
Research in Antarctica by climate scientist Dana Veron ’95 has implications for people around the globe. By Robyn Rime One of the hottest spots for studying climate change right now is also one of the coldest. The vast ice sheet of Antarctica — the largest single mass of ice on the planet — is melting at a rate most scientists find alarming. That matters, in part because it signals a warming climate, but also because it...
Geneseo Fulbrights Across the World
Students and alumni who have earned the prestigious fellowships are informal ambassadors who are transformed by the experience. By Kris Dreessen Watch a series of videos from Fulbrighters about their experience: go.geneseo.edu/fulbright Rachel Britton ’18 always appreciated nature, but it took an undergraduate study abroad program in Iceland to truly feel a part of it. Exploring ancient island rock formations and the literature they...
What Makes Good Leaders?
Entrenched notions of leadership are expanding to embrace collaboration and listening. By Lonny Lippsett Every year, Tom Matthews would ask incoming first-year students at Geneseo, “What’s your definition of leadership?” Their knee-jerk response was almost always “Leadership is telling people what to do.” “We knew there was a lot more to it than that,” Matthews says with a smile. In 1999, Matthews, associate dean emeritus of...
Make Belly-Warming Barbeque at Home
Award-winning chef Matt Abdoo ’02 shares how to create your own masterpieces in the kitchen. (Get Matt’s barbeque recipes that are easily made in the oven at home. https://scene.geneseo.edu/2020/11/try-this-at-home-barbeque-recipes-from-master-chef-matt-abdoo-02/) By Robyn Rime I’ve loved cooking since I was a little boy,” says Matt Abdoo ’02, chef and owner of New York City’s Pig Beach BBQ. “I’m half Lebanese, half...
Video: Ambassador Nawang Sherpa ’20
Nawang Sherpa ’20 struggled during his first year at Geneseo. It inspired him to explore his roots as a Sherpa-American and help other first-generation, Sherpa-Americans be introduced to and prepare for college. As the 2019 John A. ’87 and Mary Grace ’84 Gleason Ambassador in Student Affairs, Sherpa designed a three-part, immersive project in Nepal, Queens, N.Y., and...
Making “Frozen” Magic on the Silver Screen
An animator for The Walt Disney Company, Becky Bresee ’93 was a head of animation for “Frozen 2.” /Photo by Ricky Middlesworth Walt Disney animator Becky Bresee ’93 brings fairy tales to life. By Carol Marcy When you wish upon a star, do your dreams come true? Yes, if you are Becky Bresee ’93. As a young girl, she loved The Walt Disney Company’s fairy tales. She dreamed of the characters’ lives — royalty in castles and imaginary...
Seeds and Harvest
While Geneseo’s mission is to foster student growth, faculty and staff learn and gain inspiration from students as well. By Kris Dreessen In higher education, we most often hear about how students learn from professors and staff. But just as often, those faculty and staff members say they learn from and are inspired by students. They are mentors, but their support of students comes back to them in many, sometimes revelatory, ways....
Kindred Spirits
Geneseo community members share how their pets teach them about life, loss, relationships and unconditional love. By Kris Dreessen A paw on the hand, a face full of fur, a loving greeting when we arrive. From dogs and cats to horses and pot-bellied pigs, our pets change our lives — and us — in large and small ways. President Denise A. Battles, Michael Mills and Vejovis: Pet ambassadors and accepting loss We were just going to meet...
The Small Steps of Lifelong Learning
The journey toward fulfillment starts with wonder. by Dana Wavle ’85 Our lives are a sequence of small steps toward the attainment of our personal and professional goals. Since graduating from Geneseo in 1985, I have been a lifelong learner. My academic experiences at Geneseo — the classes, professors and ivy-covered buildings — instilled a love for learning that has remained with me to this day. I earned my master’s degree in...
Breaking Higher Ed’s Gender Barriers
How Geneseo and two professors are shaping the future of women and underrepresented groups in academia, especially in STEM fields. By Lonny Lippsett Though women in academia have made strides in recent decades, they remain stubbornly underrepresented in higher professorial ranks, especially in STEM fields. Two initiatives at Geneseo have been launched to help surmount entrenched barriers for women faculty. Wendy Pogozelski,...
Scene Around the World
Where will you take your issue of the Geneseo Scene? Check out our Scene Around the World photo gallery and submit your own snapshot.