NEW & NOTABLE
SUNY Ulster inducted five new members to its alumni Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.
Inducted were Dan Reinhard, a member of the Class of 1972 and the host of 1490 WKNY-AM’s sports talk show; Manna Jo Greene, a member of the Class of 1976 and the environmental action director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; Cheryl D. Bowers, who attended the college from 1983 to 1987 and is president and CEO of Rondout Savings Bank; Lisa I. Pacht, who attended the college from 1994 to 1998 and is assistant superintendent of schools and operations for the Rondout Valley Central School District; and Lawrence Barrett, a member of the Class of 1984 and is president of Florida Gateway College in Lake City.
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Shuo Zhang, an assistant professor of physics at Bard College, presented her most recent research on how surrounding molecular gas clouds offer insight into the activity history of Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*, the now inactive supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Zhang made her presentation, titled “Galactic Center Molecular Clouds: Storytellers of Past Outburst of the Galactic Center Supermassive Black Hole,” at a virtual press conference conducted by the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 11.
Though currently inactive, traces of Sgr A*’s past can be found in the surrounding molecular gas clouds, which reflect incoming X-ray emission from Sgr A* up to a few hundred years ago. Therefore, by studying Xray emission from molecular clouds at different distances from Sgr A*, researchers can reconstruct the activity history of Sgr A* in the past few centuries.
Zhang and her postbaccalaureate researcher Nathalie Jones, a member of the Bard Class of
2021, have focused their study on a particular Galactic center molecular cloud, the “Bridge”. Their analysis on archival data by the NuSTAR telescope during 2012-2020, and the XMMNewton telescope data during 2000-2020 clearly demonstrated a 20-year-long X-ray brightening of the “Bridge” molecular cloud, making it currently the brightest diffuse feature in the Sgr A* complex region. Continuous monitoring of this molecular cloud and capturing its peak luminosity will tell researchers how luminous Sgr A* used to be a couple dozen years ago, which is essential to understand the activity cycle of supermassive black holes. “It is amazing to have these molecular gas clouds as storytellers of past activities of the monster black hole in the center of our Galaxy,” Zhang said in a press release.
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Akiko Sasaki was named the new music director for the Howland Chamber Music Circle in Beacon.
Sasaki was a board member for the organization from 2016 to 2019 and has worked as the music director for the organization’s Classics for Kids concert series since 2017. She is the founder and executive director of the Lyra Music Festival and Workshop, a summer festival that develops tomorrow’s musicians through collaborative and solo performances.
Sasaki obtained a master of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and a bachelor of music degree from the University of Denver. She teaches piano and operates the Forte Piano Studio in the Beacon, New York City, and the Hudson Valley region. In addition, she is currently on the faculty at SUNY New Paltz.
The board of directors is very excited about Ms. Sasaki’s contributions thus far and her artistic vision for the organization. Margery Groten, president of the Board of Directors, said in a press release. “The board and community of Howland Chamber Music Circle are fortunate to have Akiko at the helm of our programming. She brings broad and deep knowledge of the chamber musical world and remarkable energy and skill to the music director’s role.”
Sasaki joined Howland Chamber Music Circle as music director in the summer of 2020 amid the global pandemic and period of general uncertainty. “My appointment as Music Director came at a critical time for artists, managers, presenters, organizations, and our community,” Sasaki said in a press release. “I’m so grateful to the Concert Manager, Carl Gutowski, and HCMC’s board of directors for all their support as I transitioned into the position.”
“I’m especially impressed by the energy and support that our community gives us,” she added. “The founders and previous leadership put so much passion and love into this organization. I am honored to be a part of the legacy of the Howland Chamber Music Circle. With the support of our community, it’s amazing how we quickly pulled together an incredible production last season with the ALIVEmusica online concert series.”
Now that the music circle has returned to its regular series, Sasaki has set her sights on again presenting live concerts in a safe and intimate setting, and on cultivating a season of exceptional artistry with greater diversity and musical breadth. “I’m committed to presenting concerts that feature broad cultural diversity while maintaining the high level of artistry for which the Howland Chamber Music Circle is known,” she said. ” I look forward to presenting our 2021-2022 season in person and hope that this season leads us on a path to healing.”
For more information on all of Howland Chamber Music Circle’s programs and the 2021 season, visit howlandmusic.org.