Green Mountain Bulletin

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	Prof. Meriel Brooks (biology) and Prof. Brad Coupe of Castleton State College received $14,792 in funding from the Vermont Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) for their project titled "Developing an Index of Biotic Integrity for Larval Cyprinidae to Test Water Quality." The researchers will document the impact of impaired riverbanks and the resulting reduced water quality on cyprinid (minnow) communities in the Poultney River. Under the direction of Prof. Jim Cassarino (music), the Green Mountain College Choir performed a concert tour for large and enthusiastic audiences in Bangor, Penn. and Utica, N.Y. in April. Through his research at Bangor University, Jim has become one of the leading authorities of Welsh-American music in the United States. Prof. Teresa Coker (environmental education) presented GMC’s environmental education program at the fifth World Environmental Education Congress in Montreal, Canada. She presented as part of a panel that included colleagues from a national environmental education advisory council on pre-service teacher education. Prof. Mark Dailey (anthropology) presented a paper, titled "Rural China: Imagining the Future at the 'Headwaters of Globalization'," at the 17th Annual ASIANetwork Conference in Lisle, Illinois. Prof. Sam Edwards (environmental science) had a chapter he authored republished in a four volume set titled Electronic Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. The chapter is titled “Doing International Business Online for the Small and Medium Enterprise.” Christina Fabrey, Director of the Calhoun Learning Center, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Advancement of AD/HD Coaching (IAAC). She will serve as vice president of member and volunteer services. IAAC is a professional organization that was formed to define, support, and protect the integrity of the profession of AD/HD coaching in the United States and beyond, and to provide continuing education, credentialing, certification and ethical standards for AD/HD coaching. Prof. Rommy Fuller (education) and Prof. Jim Wright (mathematics) gave a presentation on GMC's nine credit block course titled “Mathematics Content and Methods for Elementary School Teachers” during the 16th annual Hudson River Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (HRUMC) at Union College. GMC students Sam Connor, Heather Hewitt and Emily Ross also gave presentations at the conference. The documentary film Uncertain Future, made by student José Galvéz-Contreras, portraying the plight of homeless children in the streets of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was screened at the Left Forum at Pace University on May 18 in New York City. The panel included an economic analysis of U.S. economic policy toward Central America by Prof. Paul Hancock (economics), and a talk by Cecilia Kline, an attorney working with Casa Alianza. On May 21, José and Paul screened the film and talked with an audience of Castleton State College students as part of their Soundings program. The July 22 edition of the New York Times quotes Prof. Steve Letendre (management & environmental studies) in a story about vehicle-to-grid technology. The story, by Annie Jia of ClimateWire, discusses how electric vehicles may feed into the electric grid to produce electricity and help to "answer one of the biggest climate-related question marks hovering over the grid's future: how to store renewable energy." Letendre, who has modeled the economics of vehicle to grid technology, discusses the benefits of allowing adjustments to energy generation through the storage capacity of electric cars. Prof. Jacob Park, (business strategy & sustainability) was appointed to the editorial section board of the Journal of Business Ethics, one of the leading international academic journals devoted to corporate environmental and social responsibility issues. Prof. Mary Pernal (English & writing) was accepted to the National Endowment on the Humanities (NEH) summer seminar on “Buddhist Traditions of Tibet and the Himalayas.” It was from June 22 – July 10 at the College of the Holy Cross. The seminar brought together leading scholars for an in-depth survey of Buddhist traditions, with special emphasis on how Buddhism has been a lived religion that affected Himalayan societies. Prof. Jennifer Powers (education) presented at the annual TEACH, THINK, PLAY Conference at Teachers College, Columbia University on April 5. The topic of the conference was "The Moving Image in the Classroom," and Jen's presentation was titled "Show, Don't Tell: Assessing Literacy Through Video Narratives in the English Classroom." Prof. Rebecca Purdom (environmental studies, law and policy) was appointed to the Vermont Water Resource Panel Science and Policy Advisory Committee. The Council will advise state lawmakers on the amendments to state water policy, including revision of the state's Anti-Degradation Policy and basin planning protocols. Rebecca joins appointees from Vermont's environmental community, industry, state and federal agencies. Prof. Thayer Raines (recreation & outdoor studies) gave an invited lecture on "Human Factors that Contribute to Avalanche Hazard" at the 4th Biannual Eastern Division National Ski Patrol Level II Avalanche Course at Whiteface Mountain. The research shows that in 90 percent of all avalanche accidents, the victim or someone in the victim's party triggers the slide. The Level II course is designed to prepare search and rescue personnel for leadership roles in response to avalanche accidents. Prof. Karen Swyler (art) exhibited her work in the show "Made in Clay 2009" at Greenwich House Pottery in April. Her work was included in the Baltimore Clayworks exhibition "Spoon it! Fork it! Cut it up!" which ran from April 25 - May 30. She also gave a visiting artist lecture at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Provost Bill Throop (philosophy) published an article in the April 2009 issue of Currents, a monthly publication from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The article, titled “True Colors: Are your Campus Sustainability Efforts Deep Greening or Greenwashing?,” discusses how to integrate sustainability into the culture of an institution, and how to harness sustainability stories for fundraising and student recruiting.