Trips of Lifetimes
Geneseo faculty first led students on journeys of discovery abroad 45 years ago. Adventures of learning, self-reflection and global understanding have transformed students ever since. By Kris Dreessen The summer after his graduation, Jim Leary ’75 traveled to Italy to learn about The Age of Dante Alighieri with Bill Cook and Ron Herzman — two young professors who would become world-renowned scholars. Leary and other students studied...
VIDEO: Muons Over Letchworth
Geneseo faculty and students placed muon detectors at Letchworth State Park to show how – muons – a subatomic particle interacts with us, every second. Watch a video about the community engagement project:
Seeing the Invisible
Geneseo faculty and students placed detectors at Letchworth State Park to show a subatomic particle interacts with us, every second. By Kris Dreessen Cosmic rays from outer space collide with atoms in the upper atmosphere, creating subatomic particles called muons that fall to earth. Muons pass through everything on their journey, including us. If you hold your arm out right now, two or three will pass through your outstretched hand...
Discoveries in the Deep
Marine biologist Mackenzie Gerringer studies the depths of the world’s oceans from the rolling hills of Geneseo. By Robyn Rime Down in the ocean’s trenches — far beyond the reach of sunlight — the deep sea is unimaginably dark, a world of frigid temperatures and immense pressures. Marine organisms manage to flourish in these harsh environments, and assistant professor of biology Mackenzie Gerringer studies how. “I fell in love...
Video: Fuel for the Future
In his lab in the Integrated Science Center, Barnabas Gikonyo, lecturer in chemistry and director of introductory chemistry labs, teaches students the foundations of chemistry research. Last year, 10 of them assisted with long-term projects to support better health and more sustainable use of resources. Gikonyo, an expert in organic and materials chemistry, and his team are developing both biofuels and a biocompatible cement that may...
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....
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,...
Generational Divide in the Workplace
Why there’s conflict between millennials, bosses and older workers. By Robyn Rime Millennials, say the pundits, are entitled brats. They are spoiled and overconfident. As employees, they expect rapid promotions and flagrant personal accommodations. Conventional wisdom and professional literature both predict that Millennials — those born between 1981 and 1996 — would be a nightmare to work with, and there’s evidence that some...
Toothsayer
Tanya Smith ’97 shows how simple teeth can reveal complex stories about how humans evolved. By Lonny Lippsett When Tanya Smith ’97 peered into the time capsules, two small children who lived 250,000 years ago came back to life. They were Neanderthals, an ancient species of now-extinct evolutionary cousins of humans, who had dwelled in what is now southeastern France. One child, Smith could make out, was born in springtime and was...
Kids On Earth in the 21st Century
Howard Blumenthal ’74 explores the future by interviewing kids around the world. Watch the Kids on Earth videos. Howard Blumenthal ’74 created and produced the Peabody Award-winning PBS series, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” to teach kids geography and problem-solving. The show combined a detective story, game show, comedy and musical numbers. With his new online video project, “Kids on Earth,” he travels to cities,...
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.