Top of the News

  • Cooper Union has received a grant of $10 million from The Starr Foundation—the largest single gift from a foundation to the college in its 147-year history. The grant will be used to expand research and innovation at Cooper Union, establishing the C.V. Starr Research Foundation to sustain the college's long tradition of educating future leaders in engineering. We are grateful for the enormous generosity of The Starr Foundation. Read more in Crain's New York Business.
  • A great success, The Cooper Union Dialogue Series featuring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Governor Mario Cuomo packed the Great Hall Wednesday night (2/28). Media crews filled the standing area in the back of the hall, and national coverage was secured in newspapers ranging from The New York Times and The New York Post to The Dallas Morning Star.
  • At Cooper Union is now online! Take a look at our Winter 2007 issue.
  • President George Campbell Jr. has been named co-chair of the Rockefeller Foundation's inaugural Jane Jacobs Medal selection committee, along with Agnes Gund. Jane Jacobs died in April 2006 and in recognition of her life's work, the Foundation established the medal to recognize persons whose accomplishments represent Jacobsian principles and practices in action in New York City.
  • The schedule for our new academic building construction is online. Please check this site frequently for changes. Exterior demolition will be completed in late March. Follow the process on the Cooper Union webcam which refreshes every 15 minutes.

Congratulations

  • Linda Lemiesz, dean of students, graduated with a J.D. magna cum laude from New York Law School on February 1. She also received third prize from the New York State Bar Association in the Dr. Emanuel Stein Writing Competition in Labor and Employment law.
  • Aviva Bieler (ME'02), a mechanical engineer at The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, was honored among the New Faces of Engineering during Engineers Week 2007 in February.
  • Diller (AR'79) Scofidio (AR'55/Arch. fac.) + Renfro is on the design team shortlist for the Governors Island Park redesign of public spaces.
  • As of the January 17, 2007 issue, Alexander Gorlin (AR'78) is the new correspondent for The Architect's Newspaper's Eavesdrop column.
  • Daniel Libeskind (AR'70) will be honored in CICU's Independent Sector's 2007 Alumni Hall of Distinction.
  • Thomas Pagano (CE'05) was named a New Face of Civil Engineering by the American Society of Civil Engineers for his significant research work in the field of pedestrian engineering.
  • Lee Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership (Lee Skolnick [AR'79]) received the 2006 Community Service Award of the American Institute of Architects Long Island Chapter in recognition of their numerous public and private projects since 1980, which have improved quality of life in the Long Island Region.

publications, presentations and major exhibitions

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giving to cooper union

  • Many thanks to loyal alumni who have recently included The Cooper Union in their estate plans: Paul Rosche (ChE'62) and Ann Sahid Rosche and long-term contributor to Cooper Union's Annual Fund Albert Klein, whose planned bequest for the college will set up a PAGE Fund in memory of his father Joseph Klein (Eng'12). Mr. and Mrs. Rosche and Mr. Klein's bequest intentions make them the newest members of The Society of 1859.
  • Trustee Francois deMenil (AR '87) has generously donated an extraordinary collection of books and publications to The Cooper Union Library. Ulla Volk, director of The Cooper Union Library, considers his remarkable contribution of close to 1,500 art books, scholarly publications and books pertaining to film, history and politics as "a treasure trove that will greatly benefit Cooper Union students who will have access to "books of beauty and scholarship."
  • Frederic Litt (ChE '61) decided to support the Chemistry Department with a contribution to purchase instrumentation for the Analytical Laboratory at the Albert Nerken School of Engineering.
  • Elinor and Leonard Goldman (ME'46) and Susan (CE'62) and Benjamin Eisenberg (ChE'61) were inducted into the Abram S. Hewitt Society, in honor of their generous lifetime giving to the college, at this year's Florida Founders Day held at the Lauderdale Yacht Club. We thank them for their continued support.
  • A fabulous Alumni Roof Terrace will be carved into the setbacks on the north and west sides of the new academic building, to provide rare outdoor urban space for relaxing and events. It will bear the engraved names of alumni and their families who contribute $2,500 to $20,000 to the fund to support the new building. To learn more about this special opportunity, please visit Donor Recognition.

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Don't Miss

General Interest

  • On March 20, Gina Kolata will join Dr. Campbell for the President's Roundtable discussion scheduled at noon. Students interested in participating should contact the student ad-chairs in their respective schools to sign up.

    Gina Kolata has been a science reporter for The New York Times since 1987. Her coverage of silicon breast implants earned her the Sound Science Journalism Award from The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition in 1995. Previously Ms. Kolata worked as a senior writer for Science magazine where she began as a copy editor in 1973 before being hired as a writer in 1974. She has a bachelor's degree in microbiology and a master's degree in applied mathematics from the University of Maryland. Ms. Kolata also studied molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    Ms. Kolata's published books include: Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Health and Exercise (2003); Flu: the Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It (2001); Clone, the Road to Dolly and the Path Ahead (1998); Sex in America: a Definitive Survey (1995, co-author); and The Baby Doctors: Probing the Limits of Fetal Medicine (1991).

    For recent articles by Gina Kolata, please visit www.nytimes.com.

Alumni Events

  • A reception and private viewing of the exhibition Alex Katz Paints Ada at The Jewish Museum, New York City will be held Monday, March 5, 2007 at 6:30 pm. Hosted by The Cooper Union Alumni Association this event offers a private walkthrough with Alex Katz (A'49).
  • Phonathon, historically the largest fundraiser for the Annual Fund, is here! Join us on March 12-15 or 19th to call fellow alumni and parents. Help us make this year the best one yet by breaking our goal of $400,000! To volunteer, contact Carrie Marsh at 212.353.4173 or email annualfund@cooper.edu.
  • The annual Founder's Day Dinner Dance will be held Friday, April 27, 2007 at the Hudson Theater from 8:00pm-12midnight. Enjoy cocktails, dinner, awards and dancing! Honor alumni achievements and celebrate Peter Cooper's 216th birthday. In conjunction with this event, we will celebrate the 25th reunion of the class of 1982.
  • Aleksey Lukyanov (AR'05) and Basar Girit (AR'05) presented the work of Situ Studio to students on January 30th, as part of the CU @ Lunch program. The event was sponsored by the Career Center/Alumni Relations. Situ Studio was founded in 2003, while its five partners were studying architecture at The Cooper Union. Most recently, Situ Studio was awarded a NYSCA grant to conduct a research and mapping project on the changing U.S. border.

Upcoming Lectures and Public Programs

  • Ken Alder: The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession
    Lecture and book signing
    Tuesday, March 6, 6:30 pm
    The Wollman Auditorium
    51 Astor Place (Between Third and Fourth Avenues)
    Free

    Uncovering deception is an American obsession, one so powerful that for the better part of the last century, we have put our faith in a device called the "lie detector," despite overwhelming evidence that the instrument is unreliable. Science may not have validated the polygraph, but it still pervades the culture—it is used to combat terrorism, interrogate criminals and screen government employees. Acclaimed Northwestern University historian Ken Alder explains the story behind this invention that commanded the trust of a nation but ultimately destroyed the lives of its inventors.

  • INDWELLING: Living in a Female Body
    25th Anniversary Celebration of The Women's Therapy Centre Institute
    Weekend of March 23-25, 2006 (full schedule below)
    The Great Hall
    7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue

    INDWELLING promises to be one of the largest gatherings of women this spring in New York City. The event will focus on women's struggle to find acceptance of their bodies while living in a culture that promotes powerful, toxic images of the "ideal female form." The celebration and fundraiser will open March 23rd with a gala reception and photography exhibition/sale juried by acclaimed photographer Joyce Tenneson. The program for March 24th includes speaker/honoree Eve Ensler, award-winning author of "The Vagina Monologues," activist/humorist Kate Clinton, Speak Out/Spoken Word, exhibits, music, film and more. On the 25th, the free program includes information about staying in touch, how to find resources, exhibits and a gallery talk by Joyce Tenneson.

    Proceeds from the event will further help the WTCI provide programs for the public and practitioners focusing on eating and body image, and free mental health services for survivors of domestic violence.

    Friday, March 23rd 6-9 pm, admission $25
    Saturday, March 24th noon-6 pm, admission $25
    Sunday, March 25th 1-3 pm, admission free
    Sponsor subsidized tickets are available. For more information log on to www.wtci-nyc.org or contact wtcinyc@mac.com

  • The "It" Factor: What Makes Something Hot?
    With Clarissa Dalrymple, Mayer Rus, Francesco Vezzoli, Anthony Vidler and Laura Hoptman
    Panel discussion
    Wednesday, March 28, 6:30 pm
    The Great Hall
    7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue
    Admission: $6.00 at the door. Free for New Museum members and Cooper Union students, faculty, and staff.

    "Hot Button!" is a series of panel discussions, organized by the New Museum in association with the School of Art at The Cooper Union, designed to encourage frank conversation on issues that are frequently left out of the public arena. "The 'It' Factor: What Makes Something Hot?," the third out of three "Hot Button!" events, includes Clarissa Dalrymple (talent scout), Mayer Rus (design editor, House and Garden), Francesco Vezzoli (multimedia artist) and Anthony Vidler (dean of the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union), who will examine the zeitgeist, magic and pragmatic construction of charisma. Laura Hoptman (senior curator, the New Museum) will moderate as the panel takes a hard look at the worlds of art, architecture, design and fashion.

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Did You Know?

  • A newly expanded development section of Cooper Union's web site is up and running.
  • The fall term of Continuing Education had more than 1,000 registrants—a record number. With several courses yet to begin, there are more students enrolled than in any previous spring term.
  • The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Black Students Union brought feminist and prolific cultural critic, bell hooks, Distinguished Writer in Residence at Berea College, to Cooper Union on February 13th. With a standing-room-only audience, Ms. hooks spoke to students and other members of the Cooper community about creativity, politics, and the importance of love in countering systems of domination. Many Cooper Union students had the opportunity to speak with bell hooks at the dessert reception that followed.
  • At the 80th birthday celebration for Galway Kinnell, in addition to the guest of honor, Robert Bly, E.L. Doctorow, Mark Doty, Cornelius Eady, Edward Hirsch, Marie Howe, Yusef Komunyakaa, Anne Marie Macari, Sharon Olds, Grace Paley, Gerald Stern and C.K. Williams read. The Great Hall was full to bursting and more than 300 people were turned away.

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