All News

The Al Biles Virtual Quintet will present a jazz improvisation on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 4:15 p.m. in the Red Pit. This quintet is comprised of a single performer, Al Biles on trumpet, and his computer program, GenJam, which handles the bass, drum kit, and other instruments. GenJam (short for “Genetic Jammer”) doesn’t simply provide a musical backdrop - it is a computer program that implements an evolutionary computation technique that enables it to learn how to improvise jazz solos. GenJam trades fours or eights by listening to the notes and chord progressions on Biles’s trumpet and constructs its own solo based on the tunes played by Biles. The program will include a brief discussion of the technology behind GenJam. This performance is free and open to the public.

Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large with the National Review Online, will present a lecture titled "The Case for Conservatism" on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fillius Events Barn. The event is hosted by the Hamilton College Republicans.

Rand Carter, professor of art history, spoke at the International Network for the Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism conference in Venice from Nov. 2 to 5.  The theme of the conference was "The Venice Charter Revisited.” 

Doug McAdam, professor of sociology at Stanford University, will speak at Hamilton College on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fillius Events Barn on Hamilton’s campus. This event is part of the “Inequality and Equity” lecture series sponsored by the college’s Arthur Levitt Center. McAdam’s lecture is titled “The Civic Effects of Youth Service: The Surprising Case of Teach for America" and is based on his most recent writings on the subject.

Professor of History Maurice Isserman and F.I.L.M Director Scott MacDonald will present three landmark films and discuss them with the audience on two afternoons this month in the Kirner-Johnson Auditorium. These programs are offered in conjunction with the current Emerson Gallery exhibition, “WPA Artists: Prints from the Amity Art Foundation.” On Wednesday, Nov. 1, Hands (1934) and The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) will be screened at 4:15 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 15, The River (1937) will be screened at 4:15 p.m.

David Paris, the Leonard C. Ferguson Professor of Government, and Professor of Chemistry Tim Elgren discussed the Hamilton advising system in an opinion piece in InsideHigherEd.com. In "Advising: Less is More?," published on Sept. 29,  the writers emphasized that students want timely relevant information. “…what they wanted above all from advisors was for them to be available for assistance, to provide accurate information about course selection and college rules and to warn against obstacles that might impede their progress in the short term regarding registration and in the long term regarding plans for majors.”

Two Hamilton alumni are included on a short list of individuals recognized as the nation’s foremost leaders. Now in its second year, U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Leaders” edition (Oct. 30, 2006) recognizes the achievements of A.G. Lafley ’69, CEO, Procter & Gamble, and Robert Moses ’56, founder of The Algebra Project. Conducted in collaboration with the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, honorees were selected by a committee of government, community and private sector leaders. Chosen were men and women who, among other things, inspired a shared vision, challenged established processes and achieved measurable results in their respective fields.

For the second year, Hamilton students have organized a youth soccer program at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in the Cornhill section of Utica. The Observer- Dispatch celebrated the program with a front-page article continued on the front page of the sports section. Describing the committed engagement of approximately 45 Hamilton students, the article focused particularly on founder Kristina Carroll and sophomore Eve Stevens. Parents expressed their approval and gratitude for the effort expended by the volunteers in creating 12 teams for about 120 children aged 4 to 13. Likewise, the elementary school’s principal described the program as “wonderful.” 

George Longfish, artist and professor emeritus of Native American Studies at University of California, Davis, will present a talk about his work on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 4:15 p.m. in Hamilton College’s Kennedy Science Auditorium.  Longfish is a member of the Six Nations Grand River Territory (Seneca/Tuscarora).  He is one of two artists whose work is included in the exhibit, “Native Perspectives,” currently showing through December 30 in the Emerson Gallery. 

Arthur Levitt Jr., former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and proponent of tougher corporate accounting standards, will present "The Paradox of an Ethical Society: Are Enrons Inevitable?" on Friday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. in the Fillius Events Barn.