Campus Notes

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Manhattan College Physics Team Does Particle Research in Geneva

A National Science Foundation grant allowed a Manhattan College senior to assist in science experiments conducted in Geneva, Switzerland.

Alex Karlis, a physics major who is a member of the Class of 2017, spent a month in Geneva, building granite tabletops for detectors that will partially comprise the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 17-mile subterranean tunnel that is the world’s most powerful proton-proton collider. When placed on top of each other, the tables weigh a combined 25,000 pounds.

Scientists will analyze data from LHC and other detectors to test high-energy physics theories. “Geneva is the holy grail of particle physics,” Karlis said. “Being there was a dream come true.”

Thanks to the research grant, Karlis spent time at the LHC with physics professor Dr. Rostislav Konoplich. In 2012, Dr. Konoplich was part of a team of 6,000 researchers that discovered the Higgs boson, a particle that accounts for the creation of all mass and is often referred to as “the God particle.”

“Here a student might work with a professor one-on-one, which is great, but (in Geneva) you are working with scientists from all over the world,” Dr. Konoplich said.

St. John’s to Become a Catholic Relief Services Global Campus 

St. John’s University will become the 10th university in the nation to be named a Catholic Relief Services Global Campus on Nov. 28 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding.  

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS is committed to assisting the poor, responding to major emergencies, fighting disease, and nurturing peaceful and just societies in 101 countries. 

St. John’s has partnered with Catholic Relief Services for nearly 10 years. 

CRS acknowledges the role that Catholic universities play as leaders in shaping national communication and raising awareness of social justice issues. St. John’s has also collaborated through faculty partnerships and the Faculty Learning Commons (FLC) program, as well as CRS Student Ambassador activities.

College of New Rochelle Again Gets Community Service Honors

For the sixth consecutive year, the College of New Rochelle has been named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. 

More than 3,000 students completed 189,377 hours of service. The honor roll is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

The College of New Rochelle was cited for three programs: 

n Environmental assessment of Glenwood Lake in New Rochelle following the death of a number of crawfish and the growth of algae and aquatic plants. The study results laid the groundwork for continued research and planning for the long-term health of the lake and the surrounding park. The Lake Committee will use the study’s findings to inform countywide planning for all lakes. 

n Establishing a library for College Pierre Toussaint in Sassier, Haiti, during a service trip there. Students and other organizations collected and donated books for the College Pierre Toussaint library in the two years before the trip. While in Haiti, the students cleaned, sorted and catalogued more than 1,000 books. Before the library was established, the closest one for College Pierre Toussaint students was in Jérémie—a two-hour walk from Sassier. The archdiocese’s Office of Black Ministry supports the school, which opened in 2006.

n Public health clinical experience with Hope Community Services for students enrolled in the college’s nursing programs. Hope Community Services is a non-profit organization in New Rochelle that provides health-related services and food and support services to families and individuals living below the poverty level. After researching topics important to those coming to Hope for assistance, students prepared educational materials on bedbug control, diabetes education, diet, stress reduction, conflict management, blood pressure control and general skin care.