Campus news and notes

Binghamton scores high grades in several college rankings
In August, U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges" ranked Binghamton University at number 32 on its list of top public universities. This is the eighth straight year the University has ranked among the top 50 schools. Binghamton also placed 74th in the publication's ranking of doctoral universities, both public and private. Last year, the University ranked 35th in U.S. News' ranking of the top public universities and 78th among all universities in the country.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges also recently ranked the University as "the premier public school in the Northeast" and one of the best educational values in the country. Princeton Review's The Best 357 Colleges had a similar assessment, naming Binghamton one of the best universities in the Northeast.

Further affirming the value of a Binghamton University education was Consumers Digest, which listed the University as the 48th best value on its list of "Top 50 Best Values for Public Colleges and Universities" in July.

University to offer nation's first PhD in translation studies
After receiving final approval from the State Education Department in May 2004, Binghamton now offers a PhD in translation studies. This is the first academic program of it kind in the nation.

"Our campus is widely regarded as a model for its international education activities, and to have the nation's first PhD program in translation enhances our role as a leader in internationalization," said President Lois B. DeFleur. "This academic program will also help us attract and retain outstanding faculty and graduate students, bringing recognition to TRIP (Translation Research and Instruction Program), to Harpur College and the entire University."

Binghamton currently offers a translation curriculum for students pursuing the MA in comparative literature, romance languages, social sciences (MASS) and education (MAT). The University also offers a translation certificate to master's and PhD students from all disciplines who have taken the necessary courses and are able to pass a translation exam. Undergraduate students who are adequately proficient in a foreign language may also be accepted into TRIP's translation workshops. Students can complete the PhD in four years; Binghamton will be able to award the nation's first doctorate in translation studies at Commencement 2008.

Binghamton recognized as 1 of 10 for advanced technology
Binghamton is among 10 universities in New York that were awarded designation as Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT), part of an overall initiative to encourage greater technological and economic collaboration between New York state's industries and New York's research universities.

"This announcement reflects our comprehensive efforts to build a stronger and brighter economic future for New York state," said Gov. George E. Pataki. "By challenging our research centers to focus their intellectual talents on the technological needs of the 21st century, we are further securing New York's role as an international leader in high-tech and biotechnology research and economic development. These grants will support the world-class research being performed at New York's colleges and universities and will complement our other high-tech economic development initiatives, such as our Centers of Excellence program."

President Lois B. DeFleur said this 10-year re-designation of Binghamton's CAT, which was originally granted such status in 1991, helps the University's efforts to enhance research and support economic development. "This award allows us to think about new and strategic directions in our work in small-scale systems packaging," she said. "It goes hand in hand with all our initiatives to establish Binghamton University as a strong partner for industry."

Binghamton's CAT, known as the Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC), focuses on semiconductors and microelectronics research for electronics packaging. The center's partners include IBM Corp., BAE Systems Platform Solutions, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Universal Instruments, Endicott Interconnect, Analog Devices and Samsung Electronics.

400 students call new residence halls home With the completion of Cascade Hall, Windham Hall and the Appalachian College Center in August, Binghamton's Mountainview College residential community is now complete. Located on the southwestern end of campus bordering the Nature Preserve, this community is now home to 1,000 students. The two new halls house 400 students, while Marcy and Hunter halls, the other two buildings within the community that were completed in fall 2003, house 600. Each suite in the Mountainview community has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a common area. The community comes equipped with a basketball court and a field. The Collegiate Center features a dining hall, study areas, meeting spaces and a common area. The cost of the project was $77 million.

University project included in defense bill The Senate recently approved $2 million for Binghamton University to help develop smart fuses that will give the U.S. military more control over when a bomb will explode. University researchers are working on ways to make fuses more sophisticated so bombs can be programmed to go off only when they hit an intended target, such as a concrete bunker. "It's all based on small-scale sensors," said Bahgat Sammakia, professor of mechanical engineering at Binghamton. "You can program the fuse so that it doesn't explode when it hits the roof of a house, but it does go off when it hits concrete at a certain depth. It would really help with things like busting bunkers." Bunker-busting was the goal of the U.S. military in the initial strike against Iraq. "With so many of our sons and daughters serving in uniform today, this funding is good news both at home in the Binghamton area and abroad," said Sen. Charles Schumer. "These projects made in the Southern Tier will allow our armed forces to be as effective as they can possibly be." Sen. Hillary Clinton said the project's approval underscores the technological advances being made in the Binghamton area. "Funding for these projects means that we are supporting New York's cutting-edge knowledge and expertise that in turn will support our men and women in uniform," she said. Professor helps improve drug The work of a research team including Susan Bane, professor of chemistry, to boost the effectiveness of the cancer drug, Taxol, was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science as well as in The Lancet Oncology. Bane tested the structure of the naturally occurring compound (it is found in yew trees) to allow the research team to conclude that the same substance can be created synthetically. This suggests the drug can be manipulated to kill more cancer cells. According to Bane, it may be engineered to be soluble in water, which will make it easier to give to patients. Currently, Taxol must be mixed with an oily substance before it is given intravenously. This discovery also may improve the drug's effectiveness in cancer cells that have become resistant to the natural substance. Working with Bane on the project are scholars from Virginia Tech and Emory universities. Their National Institutes of Health grant was recently renewed at $1.25 million for five years. Research shows kids have greater affinity for alcohol than adults Children who are given alcoholic drinks early in life, or even just exposed to the smell, may be at greater risk of alcohol abuse later on, suggests research conducted by Binghamton psychology professor Norman Spear. His study involving infant rats found that these baby animals eagerly lapped up large amounts of highly concentrated alcohol in a short period when it was offered to them. Adult rats, on the other hand, had to be tricked and coaxed into drinking alcohol. According to Spear, these findings heighten the importance of parents keeping alcoholic drinks way from infants and children, because they might find them very attractive. He added that there are a variety of ways in which young children can be exposed to alcohol, some depending on culture. Professor aims to reduce divorce by dispelling marriage myths Twice before, visiting assistant professor Sally Dear has taught "Divorce Culture: Relationships and Developmental Issues" to capacity audiences at Binghamton. This fall was no exception. Not only are there no empty seats in this course, but there was a very long waiting list for enrollment. Why all the excitement? Dear's course focuses on the factors that have led to what she calls a "divorce crisis" in the U.S. Through the course, she intends to dispel myths people have about marriage so students can make realistic choices in their relationships. One of those myths, Dear explained, is that "love will conquer all." According to Dear, this attitude is "unrealistic."