In the News at Binghamton University

Binghamton University was mentioned on the Lubavitch Today website in an article about students who headed to New Orleans during their winter break to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The students helped clean-up the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, the spiritual home of New Orleans’s Jews, and offered assistance at local public schools and with Habitat for Humanity efforts.

Binghamton University was ranked in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s annual Best Values in Public Colleges as number two among the nation’s public universities for out-of-state students and in the top ten for in state students. Using a rigorous quantitative ranking system, the Kiplinger 100 finds schools where students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt. Selected from a pool of over 500 public four-year colleges and universities, the schools on the Kiplinger list were ranked according to academic quality, cost and financial aid. News of the Kiplinger’s best values ranking appeared on U.S. Newswire; the Buffalo News; the Rocky Mountain News, of Denver, CO; the Albany Times-Union;

Research by Matthew Gervais ’06 and David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, exploring the evolutionary origins of laughter was featured in a January 12 issue of Seed magazine. The article notes that according to research by Gervais and Wilson, there is a real distinction between authentic laughter that is caused by stimulus, and laughter used to manipulate social situations. Through their research, Gervais and Wilson propose an evolutionary theory of laughter. “The ‘lighter’ side of life deserves to be taken seriously when considering the facilitation of human success and development,” said Gervais. The article also appeared on PsychDaily.com

David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, was quoted in the January 18 issue of New Scientist magazine in an article about how a male’s brain experiences greater satisfaction than women in seeing cheaters get their comeuppance. Wilson noted that behavioral studies provide little evidence of a difference between the sexes when it comes to feeling of empathy and revenge, although women do appear to take longer to react than men. Wilson added that it could be due cultural rather than biological., “Just because it happens in the brain, it doesn’t mean it’s innate,” he said.

The article also appeared on WebIndia123.com

Volunteer efforts of Binghamton University students were mentioned in the January 19 issue of the Sun Herald of Biloxi, Mississippi, in an article related to Hurricane Katrina cleanup activities. In December and January, Binghamton students joined students from across the country to help in relief efforts in the Illinois and Mississippi communities hit hardest by the hurricane.

News of the students’ efforts was also reported on WPMI-TV of Pensacola, FL; and in the Ledger-Enquirer of Columbus, GA,

Cheryl Brown, director of undergraduate admission, was quoted in the January 21 issue of the Journal News of White Plains, NY, in an article about SUNY’s enrollment growth and in particular, the increase in the number of community college transfer applicants to four-year SUNY schools. The article notes that Binghamton University is a very selective school and admits about one-third of transfer student who apply. “Each year we have increased the number of transfer students we have brought in,” Brown said.

Thomas Glave, assistant professor of English, was quoted in the January 27 issue of the Jamaica Gleaner, of Kingston, Jamaica, in an article about the book launch of his latest collection, Word to Our Now: Imagination and Dissent. Glave read three pieces from the collection at an event held in New Kingston, Jamaica. “This is the most important, the most deeply felt reading that I’ve done,” Glave said. The article also mentioned Glave’s previously published work Whose Song? And Other Stories.

Binghamton University was mentioned in the January 28 issue of Newsday in an article that mentioned the donation of a new torah to the Chabad House Jewish Student Center.

David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, was quoted in the January 29 issue of the Boston Globe, in an article about how researchers have begun to suggest that religion may be more complicated that a matter of revealed truth or willed ignorance. Wilson’s argument is simple: religion evolved because it conferred benefits on believers. “’There are practical benefits that are shortchanged when most people think about religion,” said Wilson. In a way, “religion is basically providing the kinds of services we always associate with a government.”


Archives Gail Glover Director Media Relations Ryan Yarosh Media Relations Specialist 607-777-2174
		JANUARY 2006 Junior Marisa Kurz was quoted in the January 2 issue of the Stamford Advocate in an article about volunteers who donated part of their college break to work in a three-day winter camp for children with physical and mental limitations. Kurz, who hopes to work with children with special needs when she graduates, began volunteering with the group when she was in high school. “Whenever I’m home for break, if there’s something going on, I go,’ she said. Research conducted by David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, on the role of gossip in group interactions was mentioned in a January 4 report aired by WLS-TV of Chicago. The piece noted that according to Wilson’s research, not all gossip is bad. In fact, gossip can be valuable and protective. A similar article in which Wilson is quoted as saying “Gossip is a good thing,” ran in the January 30 issue of the News Journal, of Wilmington, DE. Monika Mehta, assistant professor of English, was quoted in the January 6 issue of the Baltimore Sun in an article about the growing popularity of Hindi dance groups on college campuses. The dance troupes blend the sounds and dances of Hindi films with hip-hop into a fusion craze, which, according to Mehta, combines culture and customs with being “with it!” She noted: “It’s cool. It’s innovative, it’s all the things that, as a college student, you’d want to be.” Ralph Garruto, professor of biomedical anthropology, was featured on the RedOrbit (formerly RedNova) website in an article about his study to determine if chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer can infect humans who eat deer meat. The study, the first of its kind, will track a group of people who attended a dinner in 2005, many of whom consumed venison from a deer infected with CWD. Garruto is quoted as saying: “We don’t know if CWD can be transmitted to humans. So this group, some of whom we know for sure ate infected meat, offers us a unique opportunity.” News of Garruto’s study also ran in Medical News Today; and Health and Medicine News; New York Outdoor News Herbert Bix, professor of history, was featured in a January 7 article in the Asahi Shimbun, a partner of the International Herald Tribune. Part of a series on issues and topics facing the Japanese imperial family, the article focused on how critical change is for the family’s survival. Bix noted that varied opinions and the will to express them publicly are inevitable within the imperial household. ”As the size of the family grows, you’ll have more diversity,” said Bix. The article also referenced Bix’s Pulitzer prize-winning book, Hirohito and the Making Of Modern Japan. Cheryl Brown, director of undergraduate admission, was quoted in the January 8 issue of the New York Times in an article on the Advanced Placement (AP) program and their importance in college admissions. The article notes that Binghamton University admissions officers look at grade point average and SAT scores, as well as the number of AP and honors courses, and what coursework was available at the high school before making a nonnumeric judgment. Brown noted that almost 100 students arrived on the Binghamton campus this academic year with enough credits for sophomore standing. The article also ran in the January 9 issue of the Arizona Republic. Liz Rosenberg, professor of English, reviewed a series of children’s books in the January8issue of the Boston Globe, and suggests these books would help lighten long cold-weather days. Rosenberg reviewed In the Snow by Sharon Phillips Denslow, which she says, “invites a child nearer to the natural world around him or her. In The Princess and the White Bear King, Rosenberg describes the book as “that difficult, delicate hybrid, a picture book for older children.” Based on at least three European tales, Rosenberg notes that the book “is a fine book for reading aloud, and its roots in the oral tradition give it a music worth hearing in the silences of winter.” Freshman Chloe Wilson was quoted in the January 8 issue of the New York Times in an article, which tracked eight students in the college application and admissions process. Wilson chose Binghamton because she felt that “at Binghamton, it’s more personalized, more like family.” Wilson also mentions her participation in a summer Educational Opportunity Program, which she noted was the best college preparation she could have undergone. “When I got back to campus in September, I didn’t feel like a freshman. I had more than 100 friends already, and I had already scoped out the dorm, and I had my courses,” she said.	Binghamton University was mentioned on the Lubavitch Today website in an article about students who headed to New Orleans during their winter break to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The students helped clean-up the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, the spiritual home of New Orleans’s Jews, and offered assistance at local public schools and with Habitat for Humanity efforts. Binghamton University was ranked in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s annual Best Values in Public Colleges as number two among the nation’s public universities for out-of-state students and in the top ten for in state students. Using a rigorous quantitative ranking system, the Kiplinger 100 finds schools where students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt. Selected from a pool of over 500 public four-year colleges and universities, the schools on the Kiplinger list were ranked according to academic quality, cost and financial aid. News of the Kiplinger’s best values ranking appeared on U.S. Newswire; the Buffalo News; the Rocky Mountain News, of Denver, CO; the Albany Times-Union; Research by Matthew Gervais ’06 and David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, exploring the evolutionary origins of laughter was featured in a January 12 issue of Seed magazine. The article notes that according to research by Gervais and Wilson, there is a real distinction between authentic laughter that is caused by stimulus, and laughter used to manipulate social situations. Through their research, Gervais and Wilson propose an evolutionary theory of laughter. “The ‘lighter’ side of life deserves to be taken seriously when considering the facilitation of human success and development,” said Gervais. The article also appeared on PsychDaily.com David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, was quoted in the January 18 issue of New Scientist magazine in an article about how a male’s brain experiences greater satisfaction than women in seeing cheaters get their comeuppance. Wilson noted that behavioral studies provide little evidence of a difference between the sexes when it comes to feeling of empathy and revenge, although women do appear to take longer to react than men. Wilson added that it could be due cultural rather than biological., “Just because it happens in the brain, it doesn’t mean it’s innate,” he said. The article also appeared on WebIndia123.com Volunteer efforts of Binghamton University students were mentioned in the January 19 issue of the Sun Herald of Biloxi, Mississippi, in an article related to Hurricane Katrina cleanup activities. In December and January, Binghamton students joined students from across the country to help in relief efforts in the Illinois and Mississippi communities hit hardest by the hurricane. News of the students’ efforts was also reported on WPMI-TV of Pensacola, FL; and in the Ledger-Enquirer of Columbus, GA, Cheryl Brown, director of undergraduate admission, was quoted in the January 21 issue of the Journal News of White Plains, NY, in an article about SUNY’s enrollment growth and in particular, the increase in the number of community college transfer applicants to four-year SUNY schools. The article notes that Binghamton University is a very selective school and admits about one-third of transfer student who apply. “Each year we have increased the number of transfer students we have brought in,” Brown said. Thomas Glave, assistant professor of English, was quoted in the January 27 issue of the Jamaica Gleaner, of Kingston, Jamaica, in an article about the book launch of his latest collection, Word to Our Now: Imagination and Dissent. Glave read three pieces from the collection at an event held in New Kingston, Jamaica. “This is the most important, the most deeply felt reading that I’ve done,” Glave said. The article also mentioned Glave’s previously published work Whose Song? And Other Stories. Binghamton University was mentioned in the January 28 issue of Newsday in an article that mentioned the donation of a new torah to the Chabad House Jewish Student Center. David Sloan Wilson, professor of biological sciences, was quoted in the January 29 issue of the Boston Globe, in an article about how researchers have begun to suggest that religion may be more complicated that a matter of revealed truth or willed ignorance. Wilson’s argument is simple: religion evolved because it conferred benefits on believers. “’There are practical benefits that are shortchanged when most people think about religion,” said Wilson. In a way, “religion is basically providing the kinds of services we always associate with a government.”
	BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY PO Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902