From the Podium and Beyond

By Carol Olechowski

UAlbany’s RNA Institute Collaborates With Wadsworth, RPI

Four UAlbany researchers are working with the Wadsworth Center at the New York State Department of Health and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to advance new biomedical technologies through the RNA Institute’s Interdisciplinary Pilot Research Program (IPRP).

Established in 2009, the IPRP promotes innovative and collaborative research focusing on RNA science and technology. Its overall goal is to find and fund innovative, high-impact research with the potential for leading to external research funding or commercial applications.

UAlbany-based researchers collaborating with RPI and the Wadsworth Center are, left to right, Associate Professor of Chemistry Igor Lednev; RNA Institute Director and Professor of Biological Sciences and Chemistry Paul F. Agris; Professor of Chemistry and Biological Sciences Daniele Fabris; and Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Pan T.X. Li.

The RNA Institute, launched in 2010, is located at UAlbany’s Life Sciences Research Building.

Castellana Begins Four-Year University Council Term

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has appointed SEFCU President & CEO Michael J. Castellana, B.S.’84, M.B.A.’92, to a four-year term as member and chair of UAlbany’s University Council. The appointment, made in February, is effective through June 30, 2017. Castellana, who serves on The University at Albany Foundation Board of Directors and the advisory board of the University’s M.B.A. Advisory Council, was instrumental in creating the Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) program, a partnership that links SEFCU, UAlbany and Empire State Development. He also supports many other organizations, including the Capitalize Albany Corporation, Tech Valley Connect, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Little Sisters of the Poor and St. Anne Institute.

It’s a Slam-Dunk Season for UAlbany Women’s Basketball

For the women’s basketball team at UAlbany, this was an unprecedented season. Led by seniors Keyana Williams, Ebone Henry, Julie Forster and Lindsey Lowrie, the team went into conference play undefeated (16-0) and clinched the America East title with a 25-3 record. “We care for one another and don’t want to let each other down. That’s how we maintained this incredible streak,” said Henry, the all-time leading scorer in UAlbany women’s basketball history. Head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson also won high marks from the team for her hard work and encouragement. “Coach Abe is UAlbany women’s basketball,” noted Lowrie. “She’s more than a coach; she’s our mentor, a friend and an integral part of our Purple Family.”

WCDB Marks Its 35th Anniversary

Disco is long gone, but after 35 years, WCDB (90.9 FM) – “The Capital District’s Best” – still rules the airwaves at UAlbany.

The student-run radio station has been informing and entertaining the University community, and launching careers, since March 1, 1978. (Its predecessor, WSUA, went on the air in 1963.) In the years since, thousands of UAlbany graduates who worked at both stations have moved on to successful careers. They include Brian Lehrer ’73, host of “The Brian Lehrer Show” on WNYC in New York, and attorney Bill McCann ’86, who has hosted “The Saturday Morning Edition of Jazz” for nearly 28 years.

WCDB’s current schedule features a variety of musical formats, including R&B, rock and inspirational; news; and sports. Special programming includes “The Social Workers,” which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. Assisted by School of Social Welfare graduate students, nationally acclaimed talk-show host Kathryn Zox, M.S.W.’83, Your Social Worker with a Microphone®, highlights such issues as cyber bullying and organ donation.

Anniversary events included a mixer that brought students together with alumni who work in radio, music, television and social media.

Rousseau Is Rockefeller College Dean

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has appointed SEFCU President & CEO Michael J. Castellana, B.S.’84, M.B.A.’92, to a four-year term as member and chair of UAlbany’s University Council. The appointment, made in February, is effective through June 30, 2017. Castellana, who serves on The University at Albany Foundation Board of Directors and the advisory board of the University’s M.B.A. Advisory Council, was instrumental in creating the Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) program, a partnership that links SEFCU, UAlbany and Empire State Development. He also supports many other organizations, including the Capitalize Albany Corporation, Tech Valley Connect, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Little Sisters of the Poor and St. Anne Institute.

David L. Rousseau, a professor of political science at the University since 2005, has been named dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.

Rousseau, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and a master’s from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, “is an outstanding scholar, teacher and leader in the field of public affairs,” noted University at Albany President Robert J. Jones, who announced the appointment Feb. 6.

“I am excited to be given the opportunity to continue my work with an outstanding faculty to expand our academic offerings, increase international activities, deepen our community engagement, and support our innovative public affairs research,” Rousseau said.

Liberty Terrace Opens

It features permeable pavement, rain gardens, meeting spaces, exercise rooms, lounges, and laundry facilities – and space for 500 UAlbany students. It’s Liberty Terrace, an environmentally sustainable student-housing complex opened on the uptown campus in August 2012. While the complex is beautiful, it’s also “green”: Thanks to a geothermal heat pump system installed with support from a $2.7 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, Liberty Terrace is expected to use 50 percent less energy and 45 percent less water than a comparable structure adhering to current building codes and standards.

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