Purchase College Professor Paul Siegel Receives Major Grant to Further His Research into Treating Phobias

In September, Purchase College Professor Paul Siegel and collaborator Bradley Peterson, director of the Center for Developmental Neuropsychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University, received two grants to support the latest phase of this research. With a $465,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and a $60,000 Young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Siegel and Peterson will use brain imaging to study how a phobic person’s brain responds to subliminal pictures of the thing he or she fears.

If you seek treatment for an anxiety disorder, your therapy will probably involve facing down your fear. A military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for instance, might watch videos of mines exploding and medics rushing to the aid of injured soldiers until, eventually, the veteran’s pulse no longer races at the sight.

For many people, though, the prospect of confrontation is so terrifying that they never look for help. But a new way of treating anxiety disorders may soon be possible, thanks to continuing research by Assistant Professor of Psychology Paul Siegel.

Siegel is exploring a technique that might take just enough edge off a sufferer’s fear to make therapy feasible. For the past seven years, he’s been testing the hypothesis that subliminal stimuli—images that flash so quickly the viewer isn’t aware of them—can diminish fear enough to make a crucial difference.

“If fear can be reduced unconsciously, that could get people who are refusing treatment over the hump, so that maybe they’ll be willing to confront what they’re afraid of,” Siegel says.

If the phobic brain responds as expected, this study will be the first to show that the brain can adaptively learn from stimuli that are processed without awareness, says Siegel. He hopes eventually to test the technique with other kinds of fears, such as those connected with PTSD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). “If, as several studies suggest, the fear regulation circuitry is similar across anxiety disorders, hopefully what we’re doing will be applicable not only to fear of spiders, but to other fears that are more impairing.”

“This will be a once-in-an-education opportunity for the students involved in this project,” Siegel says. The funding from the grants will allow a recent Purchase College graduate, Richard Warren ’12, to be the lead research assistant of the project, and enable Purchase College senior psychology majors to conduct their senior projects based on the research.

 

Work by Purchase College New Media Professor Steve Lambert is on View in Times Square

Steve Lambert, assistant professor of new media at Purchase College, has been dubbed everything from “provocateur” to “cultural critic” to “loose cannon,” but most agree his work is original, radical, and successful in spurring ideas and action. He couples a wry sense of humor with pointed commentary to create works of art that address economics, politics, activism, and culture, among others.

Through October 9, experience his interactive work Capitalism Works for Me on view in Times Square in New York City.

Read more about this work in The New York Times.

Purchase College Alum Nicholas Bruckman ’06 Makes Short Film Screened at UN General Assembly

People’s Television, a video production company founded by Purchase College alum Nicholas Bruckman ’06 (new media), produced an animated spot for the United Nations that played yesterday for all of the delegates at the UN General Assembly 2013. The short film addresses the success and challenges of the Millennium Development Goals.

People’s Television makes video content for organizations ranging from corporations to non-profits as well as independent films. Their first feature, the 2006 documentary film La Americana, debuted at the New York Latino Film Festival, winning Best Documentary. A narrative film, Valley of Saints, was their second feature and won the Audience Award and the Alfred B. Sloan Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. It has since been acquired for worldwide distribution by 108 Media/Paladin Film and will premiere theatrically across North America this fall.

Click here for more information about the new media program at Purchase College.

Purchase College Alum Kyle Abraham ’00 Named a 2013 MacArthur Fellow

Congratulations to renowned dancer, choreographer and Purchase College alum Kyle Abraham ’00, who is among 24 creative individuals to be named a 2013 MacArthur Fellow. Often called the Genius Award, the prestigious honor comes with a stipend of $625,000 paid over five years. The award comes with no strings attached—no stipulations or reporting requirements—providing maximum freedom for recipients to follow their own creative vision.

The Pittsburgh native is the founder of his own company, Abraham.In.Motionand in 2012 he received a Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award and was a USA Ford Fellow. He’s also a 2012–2014 Resident Commissioned Artist at New York Live Arts.

“This year’s class of MacArthur Fellows is an extraordinary group of individuals who collectively reflect the breadth and depth of American creativity,” said Cecilia Conrad, Vice President, MacArthur Fellows Program. “They are artists, social innovators, scientists, and humanists who are working to improve the human condition and to preserve and sustain our natural and cultural heritage. Their stories should inspire each of us to consider our own potential to contribute our talents for the betterment of humankind.”

Click here  for more information about Purchase College Conservatory of Dance

Purchase College Design/Tech Faculty, Students, and Alumni Behind the Scenes at Clinton Global Initiative

The Clinton Global Initiative’s (CGI) annual meeting is being held this week in New York City, and behind the scenes, a team of top designers, stage managers, and technicians, many of whom hail from the Purchase College Design/Technology Program in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts, will ensure the stage management, lighting, and scenery befit an occasion of this prestige.

“This is one of the most important meetings in the world geared toward philanthropic endeavors. It is vitally important to make sure the event’s environment conveys the message of the organization’s mission and allows participants—some of the most notable anywhere—to be as effective as possible,” says Dan Hanessian, associate professor of Theatre Design/Technology and a scenic design technical liaison for the CGI event.

Among the top experts from Purchase College helping manage the event are Dave Grill ’86, who is the Lighting Designer and Creative Director; Patrick Fahey ’91, who is the Scenic Designer; and Jeffrey Markowitz ’84, who is the Production Stage Manager.

“It’s an honor to lead the Stage Management team of 25 professionals for the ninth year on this unique occasion,” said Markowitz. “We bring together an exceptional group to do our best to shepherd an exceptional event with the highest-profile participants and attendees with courtesy, punctuality, and technical excellence through an arduous climate of security, expectations, and endless changes, all leading to a successful conclusion. Those of us fortunate to have years at SUNY Purchase in the Design/Technology program in our background are well prepared from the outset of our careers to develop the energy, diplomacy, technical skills, and care to play our part.”

Grill added, “It’s great to be able to work on a project like this with so many former and current students from the Design/Technology Program. It reminds me just how lucky we are to have such a successful program and so many talented folks who have gone through it.

In addition to Grill, Fahey, Markowitz and Hanessian, 19 more from Purchase College are involved in the CGI event, including: Associate Scenic Designers Corey Atwood ’05, Jennifer Colombo ’05, Robert John Andrusko ’90, Veronica Kimmel ’08, Danielle Shultz ’13, and Chris Thompson ’10; Stage Manager Meghan VonVett ’07; Assistant Stage Manager Jason Quinn ’01; Production Crew members Niklas Anderson ’02 and Steven Loehle ’85; Stage Management student interns Peter Chang ’14 and Natalie Price ’14; Lighting Director Jay Woods ’01; and Lighting Design student interns Nathan Avakian ’14, Catherine Clark ’14, Kelley Finn ’14, Rebekah Gould ’14, Dana Ioppolo ’14, Laura Panno ’14, Christina Robinson ’14 and Emily Rodriguez ’14.

The Clinton Global Initiative meeting convenes more than 1,000 CGI members and leaders from business, government, the nonprofit sector, and philanthropy to create solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The event features such notable figures as President Barack Obama; philanthropist and singer Bono; former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair; former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates; Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima; Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg; and countless others along with hosts Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton, front and center.

Photo: From the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting / Copyright: All rights reserved by Clinton Global Initiative.

The Purchase College Theatre Design/Technology BFA Program (Conservatory of Theatre Arts,School of the Arts) is a professional training program that places major emphasis on studio/classroom training under the guidance of established working professionals. Students learn every aspect of theatre design and technology.

 

Congratulations to Purchase College Alum and Professor David Grill ’86 on His Second Emmy Win

Congratulations to alum David Grill, professor and coordinator of the Purchase College theater design/technology program, for winning his second Emmy award.

His work on the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show Starring Beyoncé earned him the top spot in the category Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.

Earlier this summer, he reached a new level in his already storied career when he received two Emmy nominations in the same category. He had also been nominated this year for his work as lighting director on PBS’ Great Performances presentation Andrea Bocelli: Love In Portofino. He was previously nominated in 2008 and 2012, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction in 2002 for his work on the XIX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

“This is another terrific honor for Dave,” said Greg Taylor, Director of Purchase College‘s Conservatory of Theatre Arts. “Dave’s continuing accomplishments make us all proud and Purchase students are incredibly fortunate to learn from one of the top professionals in the lighting design and direction field.”

Grill earned his BFA in theatre design at Purchase College in 1986. He has taught at the college since 1998 and is coordinator of its Design/Technology BFA and MFA programs.

Purchase College Presents: PurchasePrintWeek2013

From its earliest form, printmaking has been a way to document, communicate, and convey written and visual information. To celebrate that printmaking is very much alive in what has become a very digital world, Purchase College announces PurchasePrintWeek 2013.

A week-long series of printmaking events will be held from September 30th to October 4th at the Purchase College campus. Most of the events will take part in the Visual Arts Building. Activities include demonstrations, lectures, hands-on workshops, and receptions.

Click here for the schedule of events for PurchasePrintWeek 2013.”The PurchasePrintWeek activities offer a fantastic opportunity for the community of Purchase College and the community at large to experience the visual art medium of prints,” said Stella Ebner, an assistant professor in the School of Art+Design, who is spearheading the initiative.

PrintWeek 2013 will kick off with a presence at the prestigious NY Art Book Fair, September 19 to 22 at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, NY. There, art books created by Purchase College students, faculty and alumni will be displayed and offered for sale, and Professor Warren Lehrer will present a keynote address, discussing his book works, from his classics of typographic and design experimentation French Fries, I Mean You Know, to Crossing the BLVD, and his latest project – A LIFE IN BOOKS:The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley. 

Purchase College Ranks Best of Ten in Nation by U.S. News & World Report

Purchase College was named one of the “Top 10 Public Liberal Arts Colleges in the Nation” by the U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition of Best Colleges which annually ranks institutions of higher education in an effort to help thousands of parents trying to determine which schools best suit their college-bound children. This high accolade comes on the heels of Purchase College being listed in the 2014 edition of The Fiske Guide to Colleges, and in The Princeton Review’s 2014 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 378 Colleges.

According to the 2014 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Purchase College is one of only two public institutions in New York to make the first-tier list of 180 best liberal arts colleges in the country.

“When we look at how Purchase College is consistently recognized by these prestigious national ranking systems, we see the strength of our mission revealed. Ours is an institution driven to advance open-minded engagement, academic excellence, and creative process. The environment here is unique and supportive—dedicated to ensuring our students’ academic and personal success, as well as opening doors to professional opportunities,” says Thomas J. Schwarz, president of Purchase College, SUNY.

Purchase College‘s School of the Arts includes the Conservatories of Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts, and School of Art+Design, while liberal arts and sciences programs are offered in the Schools of Film and Media Studies, Humanities, and Natural and Social Sciences, and in interdisciplinary BA programs. All professors either work professionally in their academic fields or conduct research.

“As we continue to work with Governor Cuomo to position SUNY and New York to lead in affordability, access, and quality, and President Obama puts these issues into focus nationally, we are proud to be recognized and ranked favorably by U.S. News & World Report,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Congratulations to Purchase College and the many campuses representing SUNY on this list.”

Harvard Chapter Taps Purchase College Professor Steven Lubin as Honorary Phi Beta Kappa Member

As it does each year, the Harvard Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society conferred honorary memberships on college alumni from the fiftieth-reunion class. Purchase College Professor Steven Lubin, who graduated from Harvard College in 1963, was among the ten distinguished honorees. Lubin, an accomplished and world-renowned pianist and fortepianist, has also taught at Cornell, Vassar, and the Juilliard School.

The Phi Beta Kappa Society is considered to be the most prestigious academic honor society in the United States. Founded at the College of Wiliam and Mary, it is the first collegiate Greek-letter fraternity and is the oldest existing American academic honor society. Invitation to membership is a reflection of outstanding achievement.

In the past few seasons, Lubin has performed as concerto soloist or recitalist in England, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Ukraine, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, and all across North America. He has appeared as soloist in many of the world’s great concert halls (Avery Fisher, Alice Tully, Barbican Center, Kennedy Center, Davies, Herbst, Concertgebouw, Musikverein, Wigmore, Queen Elizabeth, St. John’s Smith Square, Myerson, Ambassador, Ordway, Severance, El Auditorio de Zaragoza, etc.), and in major international festivals (Lufthansa, South Bank, Regensburg, Colmar, Utrecht, La Roque d’Anthéron, Aranjuez, Ravinia, Espoo, Mostly Mozart, Mainly Mozart, etc.). He has performed with the National Symphony, the Odessa Philharmonic, the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, the St. Paul and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music of London, the Wiener Akademie, Il Fondamento, and many others. He has recorded twenty CDs, mostly for major labels, and has received critical approbation worldwide for his artistry, musical originality and technical excellence.

Lubin holds graduate degrees from the Juilliard School (Masters, Piano); and New York University (Ph.D., Musicology). He has been teaching in the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College since 1975.

Photo: Purchase College Professor Lubin flanked by two Harvard undregradates dressed in colonial costumes, about to lead a fife-and-drum procession of Phi Beta inductees to the ceremony site.

Work of Two Purchase College MFA Students Chosen for Prestigious Optic Nerve 15 Video Arts Festival at North Miami’s MOCA

Purchase College graduate students Samantha Harmon and Juwon Lee are among the 14 artists whose work was selected by the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami to be featured in Optic Nerve 15, the annual festival of short videos by artists. Harmon and Lee are both are pursuing degrees in the MFA in visual arts program in the School of Art+Design, School of the Arts at Purchase College.

“This kind of success is typical for our alumni, but less common for students still in school,” said Purchase College Dean of the School of the Arts Ravi Rajan, “Faye Hirsh, senior editor of Art in America and the coordinator of our MFA Visual Arts program, encouraged the students to apply for the festival as part of the learning experience of being a working artist. We were delighted to learn that not one, but two of our students were selected for this curated festival.”

Rajan added “this kind of professional experience is a hallmark of our MFA: a program that is taught by professionally active faculty members and augmented by visiting artists and critics each semester, together preparing students for professional success in the art world.”

MOCA’s Optic Nerve is recognized as an important forum for emerging artists working in film. A panel of world-class curators selected the 14 Optic Nerve 15 finalists and MOCA Curator and Interim Director Alex Gartenfeld will choose the winning work or works, which will be acquired for MOCA’s permanent collection. Optic Nerve 15 takes place on August 23.

Image:

Still from Juwon Lee’s work Hidden Stories of Super Mario Bros (part 3/6)

More about Purchase College School of Art+Design here