The Academic Minute for 2018.07.23-07.27 – Siena College Week

Academic Minute from 7.23 – 7.27

Monday, July 23rd
Matt Bellis – Siena College
The Large Hadron Collider and the Future of Physics
I’m a particle physicist by training and currently a member of the Department of Physics at Astronomy at Siena College. I received my PhD in Physics from RPI in 2003, working with photonuclear reactions using data from the electron accelerator at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA, work I continued when I started a post-doctoral position at Carnegie Mellon University. I then took a research associate position at Stanford University analyzing data from electron-positron collisions as part of the BaBar experiment. I spent a year teaching and doing research at Northern Illinois University before moving to my current position at Siena College. In 2013, I joined the CMS experiment at the LHC through a collaboration with Cornell University. I currently work with Siena students to search for signs of new physics in this rich and exciting dataset.

Tuesday, July 24th
Marcela Garces – Siena College
The Txoko as a Model for the Slow-Food Movement
Marcela T. Garcés is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Siena College near Albany, New York, where she co-founded the Film Studies Minor. Her research focuses on contemporary Spanish cultural studies. She has authored articles on la Movida madrileña (the post-Franco Spain countercultural movement); contemporary Spanish film, and fashion studies. Most recently, she wrote the script for the documentary film The Txoko Experience. The Secret Culinary Space of the Basques (2017).

Wednesday, July 25th
Carla Sofka – Siena College
Thanatechnology
Carla J. Sofka received her Ph.D. and M.S.W. in social work from Washington University in St. Louis, and her B.S. in psychology from the University of Illinois. During her social work career, she worked in medical, mental health, and hospice settings. She became a social work educator in 1993, and has taught Introduction to Social Welfare and Social Work, various practice courses, research methods, and elective courses on death and dying and mental health. Her areas of research include the use of technology in death education and grief counseling, as well as how museums serve as healing spaces.

Thursday, July 26th
Daniel Lewis – Siena College
Public Attitudes Towards Transgender Rights
Daniel C. Lewis earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2008 and previously directed the University of New Orleans’ graduate programs in political science.  His work on direct democracy, minority rights, term limits, LGBT politics, the policy process, and interest groups has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals.  His first book, Direct Democracy and Minority Rights: A Critical Review of the Tyranny of the Majority in the American States, was published in 2013.  His next book,  The Remarkable Rise of Transgender Rights, co-authored with Jami K. Taylor and Donald Haider-Markel, is set to be published by the University of Michigan Press in the coming year.  Dr. Lewis teaches American politics and public policy courses with an emphasis on political institutions.

Friday, July 27th
Chester Brearey – Siena College
Future of Data Science Jobs
Chester H. Brearey received his D.M. and M. Acc. from Case Western Reserve University, his B.B.A. in accounting from Cleveland State University and a B.A. in history from John Carroll University. He is a Certified Public Accountant. His two primary areas of research are the development of accounting thought and institutions, and the regulation of accounting disclosures. He has worked with co-authors to review and evaluate the contributions of principal policy setters such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. He is a former partner with an international accounting firm and a former bank officer.