Walkway Over the Hudson

The Walkway Over the Hudson, the largest pedestrian bridge in the world, is one of many attractions in Vassar's backyard. Meet two friends of mine -- Ruby Cramer '12 and Tanay Tatum '12, both student government leaders -- as they take a stroll over the bridge. The Walkway opened at the beginning of my senior year in the fall of 2009; you couldn't imagine a more beautiful perch from which to see the rainbow of autumn leaves change color. In its first year alone, the bridge attracted nearly 500,000 visitors.

Alumni Profile: Tara O'Toole '74, Under Secretary for Science and Technology

When looking at colleges, prospective students want to know about results. What can an education at College ABC prepare me for? What will University XYZ do for my future? Occasionally, this blog will profile just one (of more than 36,000 living) Vassar graduates, so that prospective families can glean the incredible launching power of a Vassar education.

Tara O'Toole, a member of the Vassar class of 1974, is one of many Vassar graduates serving in senior positions in Obama administration. Dr. O'Toole was appointed Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security in November 2009.

Like many Vassar graduates, Dr. O'Toole's academic resume is stellar. Raised in Norwood, Massachusetts, she came to Vassar with a strong interest in medicine, studying biology and chemistry. By 1981, she had earned her M.D. from George Washington University, and by 1988, she had received a Master's in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She completed an internal medicine residency at Yale and then a fellowship in occupational medicine at Johns Hopkins. And that isn't even the most impressive part!

Dr. O'Toole came to the Department of Homeland Security from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she was Director of the Center for Biosecurity. Throughout her career, she has written extensively on biodefense, response to biological attacks, and containment of contagious disease. She is a Coeditor-in-Chief of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science. She was a principal author and producer of Dark Winter, an influential exercise conducted in June 2001 to alert national leaders to the dangers of bioterrorist attacks. She was also a principal writer and producer of Atlantic Storm, an international ministerial-level biosecurity exercise held in January 2005.

Dr. O’Toole served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety and Health from 1993-1997, where she was principal adviser to the Secretary of Energy on environmental protection and oversaw health and safety for approximately 100,000 workers in government laboratories. In this position, Dr. O’Toole developed the first overall management and safety plan for dealing with waste left from nuclear weapons production.

A liberal arts education prepares you to solve incredibly broad, thorny problems. Read about some Vassar innovators, and learn about the kinds of world-changing thinkers, movers and shakers that Vassar produces.

Evolutionary biorobic research at Vassar

Prospective students considering careers in science often hear about the importance of research during college. Research experience is key to admission to the most selective M.A., Ph.D and M.D. programs. Your undergraduate work really matters.

So, some ask, why choose a small liberal arts college rather than a humongous research university? Surely bigger labs must translate to better opportunities for research, right? Nope. As I wrote last month, Vassar is a national leader in producing science and engineering Ph.Ds. Our alumni gain admission to the most selective graduate programs in the country. Why? Simple: Access to faculty, both in the classroom and in the laboratory. Vassar science students are able to become research assistants to their professors, participating in cutting-edge projects and often getting co-published in national scientific journals.

To give just one example of this type of work, consider Professor of Biology John Long's evolutionary biorotics lab. Long is an internationally recognized researcher for his work on vertebrates, evolution, and robotics. Essentially, his lab consists of elaborate robotic fish that use sophisticated microprocessors to imitate the physical movement of real fish. With grants from the National Science Foundation and Office of Naval Research, Long studies the evolution of motion in current and prehistoric species. He also has extensive research collaborations with Duke University and the University of California.

Vassar science students are full participants in his world-changing research. Read some of the many projects and papers published by Long's laboratory that carry the names of his students. Not only is this an incredible résumé item for graduate school, but it's incredible hands-on experience. You would be hard-pressed to gain this kind of access to a faculty member at any large research university.

Interested? Come to Vassar, and take one of Long's many classes. In the Biology Department, he teaches courses on animal physiology, biomechanics, and evolutionary theory. In the Cognitive Science Program, he teaches brain architecture and perception. He also teaches an introduction to Neuroscience and Behavior.

Watch Paul Volcker's discussion at Vassar

Last week, Vassar hosted two of the world's most important economists—Paul Volcker and Paul Krugman. Above, watch the special event with Paul Volcker. Volcker is Chairman of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and was Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. The event was hosted by Vassar alumnus Jeffrey Goldstein (Vassar class of 1977), current Under Secretary of the Treasury, as well as Vassar Economics professor Robert Rebelein, who served for the last two years on the Council of Economic Advisers.

Want to learn more about economics at Vassar (and careers in finance after Vassar)? Check out the Economics Department site and the Office of Career Development site.

Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, speaks at Vassar

Last week was an incredible week for economics at Vassar! On Tuesday, the College hosted Paul Volcker, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. And on Thursday, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman spoke at the Vassar Bookstore.

Krugman, famed economist at Princeton and New York Times columnist, discussed his book The Return of Depression Economics. In addition to economics students and professors, Vassar invited local high school and middle school students studying economics.

Read more about the event in this article in The Miscellany News, Vassar’s student newspaper.

Jon Stewart Mentions Vassar on The Daily Show

This week, Jon Stewart and the writers from The Daily Show did a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. I ran over right after my classes at Cardozo and met up with a Vassar friend from the Class of 2010, Emily Leimkuhler (who's working at the Barnes & Noble corporate office) . The place was packed. Hundreds of fans were there to get their books signed and hear from one of America's most famed cultural critics. I had a different goal. My friend and I plotted on how to convince him to mention our beloved college on the show.

As he signed my book, I told him that if he mentioned Vassar, we would attend his Rally To Restore Sanity -- and stop following Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive on Twitter. I think the second promise caught his attention. I passed him a letter (left) to the same effect. Jon and the writers may have laughed at our intense Vassar pride, but they kept up their end of the bargain! At the beginning of last night's show, Jon began: "My guest tonight, a professor at Vassar... no, it's Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post!" Well done, Mr. Stewart. Check it out:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Los Angeles Heat Wave
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, will speak at Vassar

Paul Volcker, internationally acclaimed economist and Chairman of the Federal Reserve under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, will speak at Vassar on September 28. Since February 2009, Volcker has served as Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board under President Barack Obama.

Volcker served as Fed Chair during one of the most turbulent periods in American history. Known as the "inflation fighter," he helped lower double-digit inflation rates in the early 1980s and is widely credited with ushering in an era of economic prosperity. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton in 1949, and then earned a graduate degree in political economy from Harvard. In 1952, he joined the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

I took many courses in Vassar's Economics Department, and I'm so jealous that current students will have the opportunity to speak with this leader in American macroeconomic policy. Hope they'll record the event for the Vassar YouTube Channel!

Volcker's discussion will take place on September 28 at 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Students' Building. Vassar Economics professor Robert Rebelein, who served for the last two years on the Council of Economic Advisors, will moderate. Jeffrey Goldstein (Vassar class of 1977) and current Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, will introduce the speakers. Read more about Volcker in a fascinating recent profile in The New Yorker.

Vassar leads in producing PhDs in science, engineering

Each year, the National Science Foundation compiles data on where engineering and science PhDs earned their undergraduate degrees. They then publish a list of the top 50 colleges and universities that produce the most PhDs in these fields, per capita. As always, Vassar is featured on the list. Prospective students might find this data helpful in analyzing career prospects in science and engineering from small liberal arts colleges.

Interested in science and engineering? Learn more about sciences at Vassar by looking at our ScienceWeb and reading about our first-rate science programs, including Astronomy, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science and Geography, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, and Psychology.

One of the primary advantages of studying science at a liberal arts college is the opportunity to conduct research with professors. Science students are able to become Research Assistants to faculty, participating in cutting-edge projects. Vassar's Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) gives students the option of doing even more intensive summer-long research with faculty, often publishing papers and building their resumes. At larger universities -- which might seem appealing on first glance because of larger faculties or labs -- students have a far more difficulty getting involved in hands-on research.

Plus, Vassar alumni have long been leaders in science. To see just a few examples, read about Sau Lan Wu '63 (PhD, physics, Harvard University), Jeff Sleight '88 (PhD, appled physics, Yale University), and John Carlstrom '81 (PhD, astronomy, University of California at Berkeley).