on campus - Article - Manhattan College

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments
Dr. Deborah Adams, Dr. Jeff Cherubini, Dr. Tedd Keating,
Dr. Shawn Ladda and Dr. Lisa Toscano of the physical education
department presented “Connections and Collaborations: Happily
Serving Our Constituents and the Community” at the National
Association of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher
Education Conference. The annual conference was held on
January 6 in San Diego, Calif.
Dr. Deborah Adams, assistant professor of physical education,
Dr. Tedd Keating, assistant professor of physical education, and
seven students from the department of physical education and
human performance presented “Ancient Tools for the Modern
Physical Educator” at the New York State Association for Health,
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Conference. In addition,
Adams served on the southeastern zone of the conference’s
organizing committee. The conference was held on Nov. 11 in
Rochester, N.Y.
Prof. Mike Ayers, visiting professor of sociology, will release in
February his second anthology entitled, Cybersounds: Essays on
Virtual Music Culture. It is the first collection of research and
theory that explores the clash between music and cyberspace.
Dr. Robert J. Farrauto, adjunct professor of chemical engineering
at Manhattan College and 1964 alumnus, has received the 2005
Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Practice Award from the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Sponsored
by pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc., this award recognizes
individuals who have made pioneering contributions to the
industrial practice of catalysis and chemical reaction engineering.
The award was presented to Farrauto during AIChE’s annual
meeting in October.
Farrauto, who currently teaches a course at Columbia University’s
earth and environmental engineering department, is a research
fellow at Engelhard, a surface and materials company based in
Iselin, N.J. He leads a research team of 15 scientists and engineers
and develops advanced automobile emission control catalysts and
catalysts for the chemical industry. His team has commercialized
20 new fuel-processing catalyst/adsorbent technologies and, with
his research work, has helped generate more than $300 million
in revenues for the company.
The chemical engineer earned his bachelor’s degree in
chemistry from Manhattan and went on to complete his doctorate
in chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1968.
In 2002, he received the award for excellence in precious metal
catalysis sponsored by the International Precious Metal Institute.
Farrauto is also the 1998 recipient of the Canadian Catalysis
Foundation Lectureship Award.
The AIChE is a professional association of more than 40,000
members, which provides leadership in advancing the chemical
engineering profession. The 94-year-old group fosters and
disseminates chemical engineering knowledge, supports the
professional and personal growth of its members and applies the
expertise of its members to address societal needs worldwide.
Dr. Pamela Chasek, assistant professor of government and
director of the international studies program, has co-written
the fourth edition of Global Environmental Politics, which was
released by Westview Press in January. Manhattan alumni and
international studies graduates Nicole Pollio ’05 and Blair
Lampe ’05 contributed to the book. The new edition includes
a revised chapter on improving compliance with international
environmental regimes and a new section on the environment
within the larger context of sustainable development.
Br. Henry Chaya, associate professor of electrical engineering,
who taught at Bethlehem University three years ago, has since
returned to Bethlehem for the summer sessions.
Dr. Jeff Cherubini, Dr. Shawn Ladda and Dr. Lisa Toscano from
the department of physical education and human performance
have written articles published in The Berkshire Encyclopedia of
World Sport. The articles included an examination of motivation
(Cherubini), endurance (Toscano) and the history of diving (Ladda).
Dr. Ann Marie Flynn, assistant professor of chemical engineering,
and chemical engineering students Nicole Austin, Sean Helak
and Jarrod Manzer presented a paper entitled “Teaching Teachers
to Teach Green Engineering” at the International Conference on
Green and Sustainable Chemistry and the Ninth Annual Green
Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C.,
last June. The work was so well received that the students were
invited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tour its
facility in Washington and to contribute to the development of
its green engineering education programs. The group also was
invited to present an updated version of their research at the
upcoming spring American Institute of Chemical Engineers
National Meeting in Orlando, Fla., scheduled for April.
Dr. Charles Geisst, professor of economics and finance, was
recently featured in the Australian Financial Review. His book,
Deals of the Century: Wall Street, Mergers & the Making of
Modern America, was included in the magazine’s list of the
Best 101 Books of 2005.
Dr. Margaret Groarke, assistant professor of government and
director of the peace studies program, has been re-elected to a
second term on the board of directors of the Peace and Justice
Studies Association. She was elected to the executive committee.
Joanne Habenicht, instructor in radiological and health
professions, has been appointed to the Board of the New York
State Department of Health Bureau of Radiological Health for a
three-year term. The board meets several times a year to review
rules and regulations that govern radiographers and radiation
therapists and to review infractions committed by a radiographer
or therapist and take appropriate action.
Dr. Richard Heist, dean of the school of engineering, and
Richard Schneider, academic advisor, presented a paper on the
Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy (BETA) and the
Manhattan School of Engineering at the American Society for
Engineering Education Mid-Atlantic Conference held at Stony
Brook State University of New York.
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