Top of the News

Welcome, and welcome back!

  • The 2008 rankings are out! Cooper Union ranks number one among baccalaureate colleges (North) in The US News and World Report. The Nerken School is once again ranked third among undergraduate engineering colleges. Cooper Union also made the list of the Nation's 25 Hottest Colleges in Newsweek/Kaplan.
  • The 148th commencement ceremony, marking the end of the 2007 academic year, once again presented an opportunity to celebrate an exceptional group of young people. The three Fulbright Scholarship recipients so far from the class of 2007 make 23 Fulbright awards to Cooper Union graduates since 2001 and the two National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships this year make 10 NSF doctoral fellowships since 2004. Electrical engineering graduates, for the fourth time in five years won first prize in the annual IEEE North East Region Paper competition. All of the students were given an inspiring sendoff by commencement speaker Stan O'Neal, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch.
  • The Economic Development Corporation's Green Building Handbook is now online and Cooper Union has been selected for inclusion as a model of green design. See pages 28-31 for information on our new academic building.
  • President Campbell was a United States delegate to the first annual United States - Brazil Innovation Summit held in Brasilia July 10-13. He was one of three university presidents in attendance representing the American higher education community. His talk was entitled "The Competitiveness Ecosystem: Role of the University."
  • The Cooper Union's Fifth Annual Urban Visionaries Benefit and Silent Auction raised more than $800,000 in support of full-tuition scholarships. The award dinner took place on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 7 World Trade Center—a dramatic downtown space with spectacular 360-degree views of New York City donated to the college for the evening by owner Larry Silverstein. The evening got off to a great start with the opening of the Silent Art Auction featuring works contributed by 45 noted artists, architects and designers.

    This year's honorees—Constance Milstein (Urban Citizenship), Kara Walker (Visual Art), Santiago Calatrava (Architecture), Craig Nevill-Manning (Engineering) and Jennifer Lee (AR'97) (Emerging Talent)—represented the best of New York City's civic, art, architecture and science communities. Congratulations and thanks for the huge success of this year's dinner go to dinner chairs Susan and François deMenil, members of the President's Council and Board of Trustees, respectively, and Trustee Sandra Priest Rose.

  • The School of Architecture welcomes new faculty members Felecia Davis, member of the Design III teaching team; Hayley Eber (AR'01), member of thesis teaching team; Jane Lea and Michael Webb, teaching drawing; Sheng Shi, teaching Structures II; and Thomas Tsang (AR'00), member of Design IV teaching team.
  • Foresight Nanotech Institute appointed Dr. Pearl Chin (ChE'86) to the position of president.
  • Diller Scofidio + Renfro (Elizabeth Diller [AR'79], Ricardo Scofidio [AR'55/Arch. fac. emeritus]) and Smith-Miller&Hawkinson (Laurie Hawkinson [AR'83]) are on the Cincinnati Art Museum short list for campus redesign and enhancement.
  • Among firms pre-qualified in the second round of the Mayor's Design + Construction Excellence Program are Christoff:Finio (Martin Finio [AR'88]), OBRA Architects (Pablo Castro and Jennifer Lee [AR'97/Arch. fac.]), Toshiko Mori Architects (Toshiko Mori (AR'76) and Smith-Miller & Hawkinson (Laurie Hawkinson [AR'83]).
  • OBRA Architects (Jennifer Lee [AR'97/Arch. fac.] and Pablo Castro) was invited to design a new modular residence for graduate art students at Pratt Institute.
  • Toshiko Mori (AR'76) is serving on the advisory committee to the New Canaan Modern Home Survey; is a member of the NYU Master Planning team; and won a 2006 Art Commission Award (announced summer 2007) for Poe Park Visitor's Center, Bronx.
  • Quantum Corp., the leading global specialist in backup, recovery and archive, announced that Bruce Pasternack (ME'68/trustee) and Dennis Wolf have been appointed to Quantum's board of directors, effective July 12, 2007.

Congratulations

  • The finalists for the Mondialogo Engineering Award 2007 included Cooper Union's project "Development of a sustainable fluoride filter for use in the Bongo District of Ghana, Africa."
  • Karen Bausman (AR'82) + Associates has been selected to provide architectural design services for new facilities, including a 5,000 square-foot nature center, as part of the landscape master plan and redesign of Soundview Park in Bronx, NY.
  • Barry Benepe (A'54) is the recipient of one of the first two annual Jane Jacobs Medals, which comes with a $100k stipend. The award is sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. President Campbell co-chaired the jury with Agnes Gund, president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art.
  • The 2007 AIANY Design Awards included an Architecture Honor Award for Diller Scofidio + Renfro (Elizabeth Diller [AR'79], Ricardo Scofidio [AR'55/Arch. fac. emeritus]), for Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art, Jesse Saylor (AR'02), member of design team; Interiors Merit Award, Christoff:Finio (Martin Finio [AR'88]), The Heckscher Foundation for Children Headquarters, New York City; Project Merit Award, Smith-Miller+Hawkinson Architects (Laurie Hawkinson [AR'83]), 405 West 53 Street, New York City.
  • Hayley Eber (AR'01), received honorable mention (with Frank Gesualdi) in "Envisioning Gateway: A Public Design Competition for Gateway National Park." One of the project partners for this program is the Van Alen Institute, executive director Adi Shamir (AR'85).
  • Two Cooper Union alumni received Fulbright Scholarships: Elan Fessler (AR'06) to the Czech Republic and Stephanie Reyer (A'95) to Greece.
  • Mike Friedlander (AR'79) received a special award from the city's Art Commission "for the quality of design that he consistently brings to the Department of Sanitation's capital projects."
  • Alexander Gil (AR'01), award winner in American Standard's first-ever Porcher/Jado Design Experience competition.
  • Dasha Khapalova (AR'07), received The Burt L. Stern Architectural Award at the Lotos Club Foundation 2007 Awards Ceremony on May 17.
  • Christian Kotzamanis (AR'08), second prize, 2006 AIAS/VI Boston Park Kiosk Design Competition.
  • Thomas Leeser (Arch. fac.) was the spring 2007 SGF-IR Prize jury chair, Georgia Institute of Technology.
  • Fiyel Levent (AR'03), 2007 grant recipient, Deborah J. Norden Fund, The Architectural League of New York.
  • Michael Morris (AR'89) and Yoshiko Sato (AR'89) won the 2007 ICFF Editors Award for Best Booth, celebrating Dupont's 40th anniversary, at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Javits Center, New York City, May 19-22.
  • Margaret Morton (Art fac.) has been awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to pursue her photography and research project on the Muslim cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan. She has also received a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts to prepare a book and exhibition on the subject.
  • Dharmesh Patel (AR'00) won the DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Emerging Artist Award.
  • Joseph Schiffer (AR'67) won the 2007 Hartford Preservation Alliance Award.
  • Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership (Lee Skolnick [AR'79]), Society of Environmental Graphic Designers 2007 Design Merit Award for Children's Museum of the East End.
  • Ralph Steinglass (AR'62) received the 2007 Vice Presidential Citation for Professional Development from AIANY.

publications, presentations and major exhibitions

  • Dennis Adams (Art fac.), Galerie Maubrie, Paris, through August 15.
  • Stan Allen (AR'81), participant, "Retracing the Expanded Field, a Conference on Art and Architecture," Princeton University; participant, "Sustainable?," international colloquium, Canadian Centre for Architecture, June.
  • Daniel Arsham (A'03), Melbourne International Arts Festival, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, October 11-27.
  • Shigeru Ban (AR'84), participant, Monterey Design Conference, October 19-21; "The Accidental Environmentalist" New York Times Magazine, May 20; also included: Elizabeth Diller (AR'79), Ricardo Scofidio (AR'55/Arch. fac. emeritus), Laurie Hawkinson (AR'83), Dean Maltz (AR'84), the late John Hejduk (AR'50/Arch. fac./dean emeritus).
  • Christine Benedict (AR'86), speaker, Green Building Forum, New York City, May 16.
  • Kevin Bone (Arch. fac.), lecture, with Gina Pollara (AR'91), "Water-Works: The Architecture and Engineering of the New York City Water Supply," June 7, NYPL Science, Industry and Business Library; keynote speaker, 2007 ACSA Southwest fall conference, "Just Add Water," The University of Texas as Austin, October 4-8.
  • Anthony Candido (Arch. fac.), costume design, Nancy Meehan Dance Company, May 2007, New York City.
  • Will Cotton (A'87), Salomon Contemporary, through September 3, Caren Goldin Fine Art through August 17, Hudson River Museum, through September 2 and Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, through July 31.
  • Robert Cowherd (AR'88), "Prepared Response: The Best Way to Avoid a Fiasco is to be Ready for Disaster," Architecture Boston, May/June.
  • Carlos DeLanda and Manuel DeLanda (Arch. fac.), in Domus, April.
  • Elizabeth Diller (AR'79), Laurie Hawkinson (AR'83), conference, "Engineered Transparency: Glass in Architecture and Structural Engineering," Columbia University, September 27-28.
  • Elizabeth Diller (AR'79), Ricardo Scofidio (AR'55/Arch. fac. emeritus), ICA, Boston, in Metropolis, May; "An Eco-House for the Future" The New York Times Magazine, May 20; Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Governors Island redevelopment, New York, May 30; "New Yorkers Mull Visions for Governors Island," Architectural Record, June 25; "Five Variations on the Theme of Governors Island" Architectural Record, July; Manhattan Terpsichore, Domus, June; "The Illusionists," profile in The New Yorker, May 14; "Couples Who Build More Than Relationships" The New York Times, April 22; work included in Visionary Architecture: Blueprints of the Modern Imagination, Neil Spiller; in Swarovski Crystal Palace exhibition, Milan's Salone Internazionale del Mobile; Diller, participant, "The Heart of the City," international architecture conference, Lisbon, Portugal, May 31-June 2.
  • Book review, Tracing Eisenman: Complete Works, (Peter Eisenman [Arch. fac. emeritus]), Oculus, spring.
  • Mike Essl (A'96/Art fac.), The New York Times, Business Section, C7, July 27.
  • Elan Fessler (AR'06), OISTAT Theater Architecture Competition entry, exhibited at Prague Quadrenniale, 11th International Exhibition of Scenography and Theater Architecture, Prague, Czech Republic, June 14-24.
  • Michael Friedlander (AR'79), in "An Architect Who Can Delight the Eye (if Not the Nose)," The New York Times, July 17.
  • Alexander Gorlin (AR'78), "Does Size Matter When it Comes to Design Offices and Quality?," Critique column, Architectural Record, April.
  • T.J. Gottesdiener (AR'79), quoted in "Take a Look at the Freedom Tower Lobby,"; and in "The $34,000 Question: Intern Architects Weigh the Creative Rewards of Their Profession against its Financial Drawbacks," Architect, April.
  • Michael Kwartler (AR'65), in "Place in the Sun," The New Yorker, July 2.
  • Daniel Libeskind (AR'70), speaker, "Brandism Series: Signature as Brand", panel, Center for Architecture, April 24; architect for Renaissance ROM, expansion and heritage renovation of Royal Ontario Museum; Denver Art Museum featured in Abitare, April; with T.J. Gottesdiener (AR'79) "Take a Look at the Freedom Tower Lobby"; "Museum Residences, Denver, Colorado" Architectural Record, May.
  • Diane Lewis (AR'76/Arch. fac.), "AIA 150," OCULUS, spring, and curator, The Center for Architecture.
  • Thomas Lindberg (AR'80), restoration of Temple Emanu-El, New York City, Architectural Record, June.
  • Pam Lins (Art fac.), Harris Lieberman through June 30 and Maine College of Art, through August 12.
  • Julian Louie (AR'07), fashion design featured in Elle, May.
  • Noah Lyon (A'02), Rock N Roll Vol. 1, Sxrlandet Art Museum, Norway, June 30-September 9, 2007.
  • Jeff Madrick (H&SS fac.), More Jobs, Good Jobs, Economic Policy Institute, June 22.
  • Sylvia Plimack Mangold (A'59), solo show, Alexander and Bonin, New York City, opening September 8th.
  • Yuri Masnyj (A'98), Metro Pictures, New York City, through July 31.
  • Tom McGrath (A'00), Alain Noirhomme, Brussels, Belgium, through September 9.
  • Thomas Micchelli (Visual Resources Collection, Library), review, Venice Biennale's international survey exhibition, "Think with the Senses-Feel with the Mind: Art in the Present Tense," Brooklyn Rail, July/August 2007.
  • Margaret Morton (Art fac.), B'Art: Bishkek Art Center, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, August 10-12.
  • Gina Pollara (AR'91), executive director, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute's Franklin D. Roosevelt Monument Park Project, interviews in July Architectural Record, July 20 New York Sun, Summer Modernism Magazine.
  • Ron Pompei (AR'82), in "What They're Reading" section, Interior Design, April.
  • Jesse Reiser (AR'81), Nanako Umemoto (AR'83), Atlas of Novel Tectonics featured in "CultureBooks," Architect, July; set design for world premiere of Boris Godunov at Princeton University.
  • Stephen Rustow (Arch. fac.), "Scenography and Structural Theatrics: Urban, Foster and the Hearst Tower", Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, June 2007.
  • Ysrael Seinuk (Arch. fac.), "Issues in Tall Building Structural Engineering," lecture, June ACSE meeting; in Arquitecturas Desplazadas: Arquitecturas Del Exilio Espanol.
  • Paul Seletsky (AR'82), Lebbeus Woods (Arch. fac.), Postopolis, Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York City, May 29-June 2.
  • David Shapiro (Arch. fac.), New and Selected Poems (1965-2006), reviewed in "In the Presence of Genius" by Roger Kamenetz.
  • Situ Studio (Sigfus Breidfjord [AR'05], Basar Girit [AR'05], Aleksey Lukyanov [AR'05], Wes Rozen [AR'05], Bradley Samuels [AR'05]), participants, Citysol 2007.
  • Lee Skolnick (AR'79), quoted in "A Wall Talks, but What Does it say?," The New York Times.
  • Siae Sung (AR'04), DACRA's Miami office/gallery, in Interior Design, May.
  • Lan Tuazon (A'99), "The Happiness of Objects," Sculpture Center, Long Island City, NY, April 29-July 29, 2007.
  • Anthony Vidler (Arch. fac./dean), keynote speaker, "Life, the Universe, Everything and More: Plato's TIMAEUS Today," University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, September 13-14; commencement speaker, SCI-ARC, September 16, 2007.
  • Will Villalongo (Art fac.), International Print Center New York through August 3, and Alexandre Pollazzon Gallery, London, through September 1, and El Museo Del Barrio, New York City, through January 2008.
  • Jennifer Williams (Art fac.), Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin, TX, through August 19 and Tilt Gallery, Phoenix, AZ.

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giving to cooper union

  • The 2007 Annual Fund exceeded its goal of $2.6 million by raising one of the largest amounts in its history. The Annual Fund seeks to raise $2.8 million in 2008. Help us raise it!
  • Many thanks to the Hyde & Watson Foundation for a grant to purchase equipment in support of the Saturday Outreach Programs. The programs provide underserved New York City high school students with free studio visual arts education in the subjects of drawing, basic design, sculpture and graphic design.
  • We are grateful to the Maurice Kanbar Charitable Trust, which gave a grant to Cooper Union to support the English as a Second Language Program.
  • The Hebrew Technical Institute gave two grants to The Cooper Union. One to the School of Engineering's Summer High School Engineering Research Internship Program, which provides a great opportunity for high school students to tackle research problems in a college setting and the second to the Immigrant Retraining Program, which offers courses that help immigrant engineers acclimate and update their engineering training to American standards.
  • Alumni on Wall Street co-chairs Ray Falci (ME'86) and Larry Ng (EE'78) are thrilled to announce that the Alumni on Wall Street campaign is off to a fantastic start with the addition of charter members Philip Weisberg (EE'89) and Eric Hirschhorn (ME'89). All alumni in financial services have the opportunity to participate in this unique naming opportunity in the new academic building. For information contact Richard Aab at 212-353-4171 or raab@cooper.edu.
  • Cooper Union has received very generous bequests from Anne Dowden, Emil Pansky (ME'41), Beatrice Perlman (A'56) and Charles Rosen (EE'40).
  • Sue Eiesenberg (CE '62), Ben Eiesenberg (ChE '61), Robert Sarubbi (CE '53) and Donald Schwinn (CE '57) have all made generous gifts of appreciated securities through charitable gift annuities at The Cooper Union—gifts that pay individuals an income for life and then provide deferred support for the college.
  • Congratulations and thanks to Sue and Ben Eiesenberg on their induction into The Sarah Bedell Cooper Society which honors total lifetime giving to The Cooper Union of more than $500,000.
  • Update on IRA Rollover Gifts: To date, more than 20 members of the Cooper Union community have made direct gifts from their qualified IRAs to the college using the IRA Rollover Provision, which became law last year. Their gifts support the Annual Fund, the New Academic Building Fund and endowment funds at The Cooper Union. The new law permits individuals who are age 70½ and older to rollover up to $100,000 per year from an IRA directly to a charity now through December 31, 2007. For more about the new law please visit: http://www.cooper.edu/administration/development/ira.html
  • Helen Brandshaft once again contributed to the Ismar David Scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year—her seventh consecutive year of making this scholarship gift that supports students of the School of Art and the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.
  • Thanks to the generous supporters of the new academic building who will be recognized with named spaces.
    • More than 115 alumni have reserved spaces for their names to be engraved as a permanent legacy on the Alumni Roof Terrace. Their support of the building fund now totals more than $675,000. Mark your legacy in stone and secure a space for your name on the Terrace with contributions that can be spread through June 2012. For more information, contact Richard Aab at 212-353-4171 or raab@cooper.edu, or visit Give to Cooper Union.
    • Jeanette Brooks and son Mark Brooks have named the Louis and Jeanette Brooks Engineering and Design Center in honor of her and her late husband, Louis Brooks (ME'41). They are members of the Peter Cooper Heritage Society.
    • Evelyn Kossak will name the Evelyn and John Kossak Art Suite in honor of her and her late husband, John Kossak (ChE'41). They are members of the Peter Cooper Heritage Society.
    • Edward Durbin (EE'48) has given a generous gift to name the Edward Durbin Suite, combining the junior and senior electrical engineering project rooms and connected support spaces. His lifetime giving has earned him membership in the Sarah Bedell Cooper Society.
    • A bequest from Ben Swedowsky (A'49) and an additional gift from his wife Helene Swedowsky will be recognized by naming the Ben Swedowsky Darkroom in the Foundation Building.
    • Generous contributions from alumni Alfred Brand (CE'67) and William Paulus Jr. (CE'58) will name classrooms in their honor.
    • Helmuth Knapp (EE'50), a member of the Abram S. Hewitt Society, has significantly added to his generous lifetime giving, this time allocating his latest gift to the building fund.

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Don't Miss

Alumni Events

  • Cooper Union will celebrate Alumni Day at Ringwood Manor on Saturday, September 29, 2007. Alumni and friends are invited to enjoy a special Cooper Union group tour of Ringwood Manor, hike the historic carriage road leading to the former Green Camp site, enjoy a picnic lunch and reminisce with fellow Cooper alumni. For more information go to www.cualumni.com.

Upcoming Lectures and Public Programs

  • Douglas Brinkley: Jack Kerouac Road Novels 1957-1960
    Thursday, September 6, 6:30 pm, free lecture and book signing, Albert Nerken School of Engineering, Room 21E
    The Library of America's publication of Jack Kerouac: The Road Novels: 1957-1960, edited by Douglas Brinkley, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the publication of On the Road, often considered the bible of the Beat Generation. Other Kerouac works included in this volume are The Dharma Bums, The Subterraneans, Tristessa, Lonesome Traveler and journal selections.

    Brinkley won the Benjamin Franklin Award for The American Heritage History of the United States, was awarded the BusinessWeek Book of the Year Award for Wheels for the World and was also named 2004 Humanist of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
  • Jon Naar: The Birth of Graffiti
    Tuesday, September 11, 6:30 pm, free lecture and book signing, Wollman Auditorium
    An internationally acclaimed photographer and author/co-author of 12 books, Jon Naar's The Birth of Graffiti features a classic body of photographs, most never before seen in print, documenting New York graffiti's emergence. Naar will talk about the now global phenomenon of graffiti that was first captured in New York by a professional photographer in early 1973. His book brings to life the gritty, exciting New York of the early 1970s and explores the raw visual power of early graffiti.

    Jon Naar's work has appeared for more than four decades in publications including The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Elle and The London Times. His books of photographs include The Faith of Graffiti and Getting the Picture.
  • Mark Maske: War Without Death: A Year of Extreme Competition in Pro Football's NFC East
    Thursday, September 20, 6:30 pm, free lecture and book signing, Wollman Auditorium
    The four teams in the NFC East have won 10 Super Bowls, and Mark Maske, a sports columnist for the Washington Post, offers an up-close look at these storied franchises throughout 2006. Maske provides insightful profiles spotlighting key characters—such as former Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. He also looks at how running an NFL team has become a major endeavor and how his coverage of the collective bargaining agreement affects the league.
  • Jonathan Lethem: Philip K. Dick: Four Novels of the 1960s
    Thursday, September 27, 6:30 pm, free lecture and book signing, The Great Hall
    Acclaimed writer Jonathan Lethem is the editor of a selection of novels written by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick from the 1960s. Dick left behind more than 160 short stories and novels when he died in 1982. Many of his tales have become successful films, such as Blade Runner and Minority Report. Lethem bundled four of Dick's novels into one book to give a new generation the opportunity to discover Dick's futuristic visions.

    Jonathan Lethem is the author of seven novels, including Gun, with Occasional Music; The Fortress of Solitude and You Don't Love Me Yet. Motherless Brooklyn, his fifth, won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
  • Paul Collier: The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It
    Friday, September 28, 6:30 pm, free lecture and book signing, The Great Hall
    Global poverty, author Paul Collier points out, is rapidly affecting about 80 percent of the world. The real crisis lies in a group of about 50 failing states, the bottom billion, whose problems defy traditional approaches to alleviating poverty. In The Bottom Billion, a book that New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff has called "the most important non-fiction book of the year," Collier contends that these 50 failed states pose the central challenge of the developing world in the 21 century. Collier analyzes the causes of failure and examines why standard solutions do not work and how aid and globalization can actually make matters worse. Collier will talk about The Bottom Billion and offer hope for solving one of the great humanitarian crises facing the world today.

    Paul Collier is a professor of economics and directs the Centre for the Study of African Economics at Oxford. From 1998-2003, he was the director of the Development Research Group of the World Bank.

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Did You Know?

  • With more than 800 registrations, the summer term of Continuing Education was the most popular ever. This fall will see new Professional Development courses, including the start of a certificate program in green building design. Guest lecturers in the overview course scheduled for the fall will cover topics such as cogeneration, the LEED process, sustainable building materials and sustainable construction methods. Specific courses in the spring and future terms will go into various aspects of green building in depth.
  • The office of Ysrael A. Seinuk (Arch. fac.), P.C., in celebration of 30 years of engineering excellence, sponsored, in association with Chashama, an exhibition and reception for emerging artists in the Houghton Gallery of The Cooper Union, July 19. The exhibition was curated by Sue F. Gussow (A'56/Arch. fac. emerita), and included the work of Amber Chapin (AR'05), Gerri Davis (AR'03), Firat Erdim (AR'01), Gia Mainiero (AR'06), Beth Miller (AR'06), Theresa Ward Thomas (AR'81) and Professor Alan Wolf.

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