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CCNY Prof Tony Ro reports new insights on synesthesia at Acoustical Society of America Conference The high whine of a hovering mosquito makes the skin tingle and crawl. Some sounds, such as fingernails screeching down a blackboard or the throbbing bass of a cranked-up car stereo, are felt as much as heard. These feelings result from cross-wiring of senses in the brain, according to City College of New York Professor of Psychology Tony Ro. He explained this phenomenon and its relation to a disorder of sensory mixing called synesthesia in an invited paper he presented Wednesday, May 25, at the

Roberto Clemente, a senior majoring in advertising and public relations at The City College of New York, was named a Merit winner in the One Show College Competition for creativity in advertising. Simeon Coker, a CUNY Baccalaureate student, who was mentored and taught by CCNY advertising faculty, also received a Merit award. The winners were announced at a reception May 11 in New York. “The One Show is the Academy Awards of our industry,” said Nancy R. Tag, associate professor of advertising and deputy chair of CCNY’s Media & Communication Arts Department. “It’s probably the most prestigious

Two student teams were chosen as winners of The City College of New York’s first annual Kaylie Prize for Entrepreneurship. CCNY alumnus and award benefactor Harvey Kaylie, EE ’60, announced the surprise decision, which was made by a five-member panel of judges, following final presentations by five teams on Tuesday, May 10. “Stoke Innovation” took top honors. Composed of four graduate physics students and an undergraduate electrical engineering major, it is developing an affordable, non-invasive device for instant cancer detection through light analysis. Team members are James Scholtz, Denis

A team of City College of New York engineering students paddled their way to victory in a “green” concrete canoe they designed and built for the 2011 Metropolitan Region Concrete Canoe Competition held last month in Denville, N.J. “This is a wonderful project in which we train students to know not just the formulas, but to understand design and construction in the real world,” says Dr. Weihua Jin, City College substitute associate professor of civil engineering and team advisor. The competition, organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and held in conjunction with its

Award to Support Study of Music in Extremist Propaganda Dr. Jonathan Pieslak, associate professor of music at The City College of New York, is one of 180 scholars, artists, and scientists from the United States and Canada awarded Guggenheim Fellowships for 2011. His project, a study of the music of indoctrination and propaganda in extremist cultures, was chosen from among nearly 3,000 applicants. Professor Pieslak’s proposal grew out of his widely acclaimed 2009 book “Sound Targets: American Soldiers and Music in the Iraq War” (Indiana University Press), in which he devoted a chapter to the

Deborah Ayeni, Maria Otazo and Joshua Usani, members of The City College of New York Class of 2011, have been selected to receive 2011 Jonas E. Salk Scholarships awarded by The City University of New York. The awards recognize the high ability and scholarship of students who plan careers in medicine and the biological sciences and who are judged likely to make significant contributions to medicine and research. They are selected on the basis of original research papers undertaken with prominent scientist/mentors. “I commend this year’s Salk Scholars on their commitment to academic quality and

College to Confer Honorary Degrees on Bernard Spitzer, ’43, Ed Koch, ’81, Anthony M. Johnson and Bert Brodsky, ’64 Geoffrey Canada, the founder and chief executive officer of Harlem Children’s Zone and a nationally recognized education reform advocate, will be the guest speaker at The City College of New York’s 165th Commencement Exercises, 10 a.m., Friday, June 3 on the CCNY campus. In addition, CCNY will confer honorary degrees on: real estate developer and philanthropist Bernard Spitzer, ’43; former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, ’81; physicist Anthony M. Johnson, and entrepreneur and

Saxophonist Chris Potter will be Featured Guest Artist The 11th annual CUNY Jazz Festival, a gathering of bands and ensemble from across the CUNY system, takes place May 12-13 in Aaron Davis Hall, Theater B, at The City College of New York. Chris Potter, hailed by “Down Beat” magazine as one of most studied saxophonists on the planet, will be the festival’s guest artist. The festival opens 12 noon Thursday, May 12, with a performance by the CCNY Jazz faculty ensemble comprising professors John Patitucci, Dan Carillo, Scott Reeves and Mike Holober. This year’s festival features ensembles from

Aspiring and Early-Career Teachers Master Techniques Outside Classroom Late every Tuesday afternoon, 16 students from nine New York City high schools convene in a studio on the third floor of Shepard Hall on The City College of New York campus. For two hours, they stretch their creative talents as early-career and aspiring art teachers get to practice their pedagogical skills outside the classroom. “We’re giving high school students the chance to explore and experiment like (college-level) art students,” said Marit Dewhurst, CCNY director and visiting assistant professor of art education.

Dr. Michio Kaku, Henry Semat Chair and Professor of Theoretical Physics at The City College of New York, has been in great demand around the country to speak on his best-selling book, “Physics of the Future.” He will have home court advantage, however, when he presents the Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Lecture 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 16 in the Great Hall of Shepard Hall on the CCNY campus, 160 Convent Avenue, New York. The event is free and open to the public. Professor Kaku is the co-founder of string field theory, a branch of string theory, and is continuing Albert Einstein’s