Binghamton
ReseaRch
B i n g h a m t o n U n i v e r s i t y / S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k / 2 0 0 9
sound
strategy:
a symphony of finely tuned ideas
helps raise the curtain on
big breakthroughs
In thIs Issue:
Youth violence in the
post-columbine era
self-interest and the economY
helping parkinson’s patients

pg. 20 Earnest money:
Experimental economics puts the world of finance
under a microscope

Binghamton ReseaRch
B i n g h a m t o n U n i v e r s i t y / S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k / 2 0 0 9
co Nt eN t S
2 20 54
about Binghamton Research earnest money aging gracefully
Experimental economics puts Binghamton University leads the
3 the world of finance under a way in meeting growing demand
microscope for social workers who specialize
messages
in geriatrics
36
4 58
search smarts
the Parkinson’s predicament a new dream
New technology could leave
for 21st-century science
The side effects of treating Web ‘crawlers’ in the dust
this devastating disease can It’s time to abandon the
40
be almost as awful as the search for a single principle
illness itself cultivating entrepreneurs to explain the world
10 Binghamton proves to be fertile
62
ground for technology transfer
merchants, moneylenders in Brief
44
and middlemen
New view of Jewish history Whole lot of shaking
offers understanding of going on
capitalism, anti-Semitism
Tiny devices may lead to
advances for technology ranging
from cell phones to air bags
f e at U r eS
14 24 30 48
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
From social Sound strategy Partnering with Industry allies
networking to parents
cover story: Composer The Center of Excellence
swarm intelligence dissects his creative process turns corporate partners into
Nurse on a mission to
catalysts for discovery
‘rescue childhood’
Research shows how
complex systems rule
everyday life
1

ABoUT BINghAmToN RESEARCh
new York state center of excellence Center for the Teaching of American History (CTAH)
Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging Center Director Thomas Dublin
Director Bahgat Sammakia
Center for Writers (CW)
organized research centers Director Maria Mazziotti Gillan
Center for Advanced Information Technologies (CAIT)
Clinical Science and Engineering Research Center (CSERC)
Director Victor Skormin
Director Kenneth McLeod
Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM)
Institute for Materials Research (IMR)
Director Bahgat Sammakia
Director M. Stanley Whittingham
Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems (CASE)
Institute of Biomedical Technology (IBT)
Director Omowunmi Sadik
Director John G. Baust
Center for Applied Community Research and Development (CACRD)
Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC)
Co-Directors Pamela Mischen and Allison Alden
Director Bahgat Sammakia
Center for Cognitive and Psycholinguistic Sciences (CaPS)
Linux Technology Center (LTC)
Director Cynthia Connine
Director Merwyn Jones
Center for Computing Technologies (CCT)
Public Archaeology Facility (PAF)
Director Kanad Ghose
Director Nina Versaggi
Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience (CDBN)
Roger L. Kresge Center for Nursing Research (KCNR)
Director Norman Spear
Interim Director Ann Myers
Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender (CHSWG)
institutes for advanced studies
Co-Directors Kathryn Kish Sklar and Thomas Dublin
Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Historical Systems,
Center for Integrated Watershed Studies (CIWS) and Civilizations (FBC)
Director John Titus Director Richard E. Lee
Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture (CPIC) Institute for Asia and Asian Diaspora Studies (IAADS)
Director Maria Lugones Director John Chaffee
Center for Leadership Studies (CLS) Institute for Evolutionary Studies (EvoS)
Director Francis Yammarino Director David Sloan Wilson
Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CEMERS) Institute of Global Cultural Studies (IGCS)
Director Karen-edis Barzman Director Ali Mazrui
Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education (CSMTE) Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE)
Director Thomas O’Brien Director Krishnaswami Srihari
Editorial Staff Binghamton University
editor Lois B. Defleur
Rachel Coker President
art Direction and Design Gerald Sonnenfeld
Martha P. Terry Vice President for Research
Photography Marcia r. craner
Jonathan Cohen, iStock Images Vice President for External Affairs
contributing Writers
Rachel Coker, Eric Dietrich, Merrill Douglas, Katherine Karlson, Binghamton Research is published annually by the Division
Anne Miller, Kathleen Ryan O’Connor of Research, with cooperation from the office of University
communications and marketing.
copy editing
Katie Ellis, John Wojcio PostmasteR: send address changes to: Binghamton
Research, office of Research advancement, Po Box 6000,
Illustrations
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Binghamton, new York 13902-6000.
iStock Images
Binghamton University is strongly committed to affirmative action.
We offer access to services and recruit students and employees
without regard to race, color, gender, religion, age, disability, marital
status, sexual orientation or national origin.
www.binghamton.edu
research.binghamton.edu
2

mESSAgES
a message from the president
When scholars from different fields collaborate in deep and meaningful ways, they often
arrive at new perspectives and challenge commonly accepted views. At Binghamton
University, these efforts include partnerships of engineers and management experts as
well as poets and musicians. It requires commitment as well as time for faculty members
with such varied backgrounds to develop meaningful projects and a certain kind of
LOIS B. DEFLEUR
courage to go beyond the familiar terrain of one’s own discipline. The University’s goal
is to nurture the initial phases of these projects with campus grants because we believe in the potential and
rewards of multidisciplinary work.
At their best, these collaborations reward the risk-takers with unexpected innovations and even artistic
breakthroughs. This was the case last year, as faculty composer Paul goldstaub and martin Bidney, professor
emeritus of English, worked to set poetry to music. They allowed the research magazine to follow them through
the creative process, from basic recordings of martin reading poems he had translated to Paul’s revelation that
the poems could be performed in song as a dialogue between people in a relationship. The composition will
come to life in a concert of new music on campus this year.
I hope you will enjoy the opportunity to accompany them on their musical journey, just as I hope you will enjoy
the sampling of other faculty research and scholarly work presented in our magazine.
a message from the vice president for research
Creative people and innovative ideas come together every day at Binghamton University, resulting in a symphony
of discovery that’s making itself heard across New York state and around the world. our faculty members are
conducting research that may one day ease the troubling side effects of Parkinson’s disease treatment, protect
your laptop computer from damage if it falls and revolutionize the way you search for information on the Web.
other experts are challenging commonly accepted views of topics such as economic history, youth violence
and caring for the elderly. one especially exciting interdisciplinary collaboration promises to change the way we
understand decision making and teams.
Through the office of Technology Transfer and Innovation Partnerships and our unique industry collaborations
— as well as through publishing, teaching and performing — the University community
brings these breakthroughs to a wider audience. on that note, I’m pleased to say that our
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
faculty members received a record number of new patents last year. We also recorded
a nearly 60 percent increase in licensing revenue.
Binghamton research expenditures grew by 3 percent in 2007-08, bucking a national
trend of flat or even falling figures. In addition, awards to our researchers rose by more
than 20 percent last year. It’s all evidence of our sound strategy at work.
GERALD SONNENFELD
3

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
4

The
Parkinson’s
predicament
ThE SIdE EffECTS
of TREATINg ThIS
dEvASTATINg dISEASE
CAN BE AlmoST
AS AWfUl AS ThE
IllNESS ITSElf.
oNE BINghAmToN
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
RESEARChER hoPES
To ChANgE ThAT.
5

Christopher Bishop
christopher Bishop has a novel theory about
how to suppress the involuntary movements
associated with Parkinson’s disease. his idea
could revolutionize the way patients respond
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
to the drug that has been the gold standard in
treating the disease for more than 50 years and
lead to vast improvements in the quality of life
for the roughly 1 million americans who suffer
from Parkinson’s.
6

ThE SITUATIoN IS
AN INCREASINglY
URgENT mEdICAl
CoNCERN; 50,000
moRE AmERICANS
ARE dIAgNoSEd
WITh PARkINSoN’S
EACh YEAR.
Parkinson’s disease patients have trouble this deficit of dopamine can be reversed
with movement. they move slowly. they with treatment using a compound called
have rigidity in their limbs. they have L-DoPa.
balance problems and tremors.
the brain converts L-DoPa into
these cardinal symptoms are a result of dopamine, which is why it’s an effective
a deficit of dopamine in the brain. replacement therapy for patients. and
for five to 10 years, this treatment works
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that’s well.
essential for movement; it also plays an
important role in behavior, cognition “the problem is that Parkinson’s is a
and sleep. progressive disease,” said Bishop, as-
sistant professor of psychology at Bing-
in Parkinson’s patients, neurons that hamton University. “You lose more and
make dopamine die. scientists still aren’t more of these neurons as time goes on,
sure why; genetic factors are believed to so therapeutically, doses of L-DoPa
play only a small role. must increase.”
7

many patients suffer troubling side it’s not always at the forefront of your
effects as the dosage increases. mind, but it’s something you can get to
if you need to,” Bishop said.“in the same
“By year 10,” Bishop said, “as many as way, your ability to produce a movement
90 percent of patients will start to suffer is a memory. it’s a motor memory, but
from motor fluctuations and something it’s a memory nonetheless.
called L-DoPa-induced dyskinesia.
so you go from a state of no treatment “We are beginning to believe that
where you’re not moving well, to a state dyskinesia is actually the inability to
where the drug is working well and suppress motor memories as a result of
you’re moving fluidly, to a point where the drug’s stimulation. these abnormal
L-DoPa doses are very high and you’re movements may be an expression of
producing these abnormal, involuntary motor memories that can’t be shut
movements.” down.”
think of the actor michael J. Fox’s recent one possible treatment relates to glu-
television appearances. the excessive tamate, a neurotransmitter in the brain
movements he displays aren’t a result that can play a role in these memory
of his Parkinson’s disease, but rather a processes, helping to lay down new
symptom of the L-DoPa therapy. pathways for motor memories.
“it’s this inability to suppress movement Bishop has developed a way to look at
that’s a real problem for patients later dyskinesia as it’s occurring and measure
on in the disease’s progression,” Bishop glutamate levels in different parts of
said. the brain. “that is a huge leap forward,”
he said, “because now we can make an
and patients can’t simply stop taking association between the behavior and
L-DoPa, Bishop said. if they do, they the glutamate levels. and we’re doing it
face a nearly “frozen” life with incredibly in a very specific area of the brain. it’s a
limited ability to move. very powerful technique.”
it’s unusual that there hasn’t been a Kathy steece-collier, an associate
change in the primary treatment for professor in the Department of neurol-
Parkinson’s in five decades, Bishop ogy at the University of cincinnati,
said. in that time, there have been huge said “surprisingly little” research effort
advancements in the ways other neuro- to date has taken the direction Bishop
logic disorders are treated. is pursuing.
treatment. Bishop hopes to find out how
With Parkinson’s, there are still a number “chris’ approach has been to delve these compounds work — and what
of big unanswered questions. the cause into novel molecular mechanisms,” she dyskinesia really is.
of the disease is one; how dyskinesia said. “these mechanisms have a strong
develops is another. potential to provide insight into new early experimentation has supported
clinical approaches that could prolong Bishop’s theories, showing a reduction in
Bishop and colleagues at Wayne state therapeutic treatment and lessen side dyskinesia as the serotonin compound is
University’s medical school and the Vet- effects associated with L-DoPa therapy administered.
erans administration hospital in chicago in Parkinson’s disease.”
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
hope to find a way to reduce dyskinesia “Dr. Bishop’s research is important be-
and suppress these movements. in 2008, Bishop and his team received cause he has focused on a brain chemical
a $1.33 million, five-year grant from transmission system that may represent
“We’re asking, ‘is dyskinesia abnormal the national institute of neurological a new therapeutic target for treatment
learning?’ there are parts of the brain Disorders and stroke (ninDs), part of of L-DoPa-induced dyskinesias,” said
that allow us to store memories. and the national institutes of health. the Beth-anne sieber, a program director
that involves laying down new neuronal funding will allow Bishop and his team at the national institute of neurologi-
pathways that become permanent. You to study serotonin compounds that cal Disorders and stroke. “his ninDs-
can now go and retrieve that information. reduce glutamate following L-DoPa funded studies suggest that activation of
8

About PArkinson’s diseAse
Parkinson’s disease belongs to a
group of conditions called motor-
system disorders, which are the result
of the loss of dopamine-producing
brain cells. The four primary
symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor,
or trembling in hands, arms, legs,
jaw and face; rigidity, or stiffness of
the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or
slowness of movement; and postural
instability, or impaired balance and
coordination.
a receptor for the neurotransmitter sero-
Parkinson’s usually affects people over the age of 50. Early symptoms
tonin can block overactive brain signals
are subtle and occur gradually. The diagnosis is based on medical history
and dampen involuntary movements.”
and a neurological examination. The disease can be difficult to diagnose
accurately. Roughly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every
Bishop said he believes L-DoPa treat-
year.
ment will remain in the mix of therapies,
even if other advances such as stem-cell
There are many theories about the cause of Parkinson’s disease, but none
transplants advance to a point where
has ever been proved. At present, there is no cure for Parkinson’s, but
they can be used regularly.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
medications provide many patients dramatic relief from the symptoms.
the situation is an increasingly urgent
The disease is both chronic, meaning it persists over a long period of time,
medical concern; 50,000 more americans
and progressive, meaning its symptoms grow worse over time. Although
are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each
year. “that’s only going to increase as some people become severely disabled, others experience only minor motor
our population ages,” Bishop said. “this disruptions.
is not something that’s going away.”
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
— Rachel Coker
9

erchants,
oneylenders
iddlemen
NEw viEw of JEwiSh hiStory
offErS UNdErStaNdiNg of
capitaliSm, aNti-SEmitiSm
in developed countries today,
people argue over the roles and
rights of low-skilled foreign
laborers. “they’re crucial to
our economy,” some maintain.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
others say, “We need them,
but just as guest workers.”
or: “Kick them out before
they drain our economy and
destroy our way of life.”
10

At the Usurers, Edgar Bundy
For hundreds of years, europeans waged Political thinkers through the years have
similar debates, but not about the pros debated the economic role of Jews. Yet
and cons of allowing poor immigrants to Jews who study Jewish history have long
scrub floors and harvest tomatoes. they avoided the subject of economics, said
argued about the benefits and dangers of Jonathan Karp, associate professor of
allowing Jews to serve in their countries history and Judaic studies at Binghamton
as merchants, moneylenders and other University.“these historians didn’t want
kinds of economic middlemen. Did Jews to contribute to the stereotype, to the
take those roles because they were at negative image of Jews as merchants or
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
heart a commercial people, or because Jews as shylocks,” he said. in the past,
they weren’t allowed any other kind of when historians did address the subject,
work? Was capitalism a progressive force they approached it as marxists and
or a corrupting one, and what did the Zionists who hoped to transform Jews
growth of a market society imply about into workers and farmers.
the Jews’ purported flair for commerce?
if a country let Jews run businesses, however, Karp said, it’s impossible to
should it also let them own land and understand the history of anti-semitism,
hold political office? or of capitalism, without taking a non-
11

Jonathan Karp
ideological look at political theories on trade, keeping control out of the hands which to explore capitalism. Dohm felt
Jewish economics. of foreign merchants. although trade that a commercial society promised
might make Venetian Jews wealthy, greater equality and freedom, but he also
Karp does just that in a new book, he said, unlike other alien groups they feared that capitalism might undermine
The Politics of Jewish Commerce: posed no threat to the state because they traditional values.
Economic Thought and Emancipation in wanted no political rights.
Europe, 1638-1848. examining writings Karp’s book is significant, in part because
on politics and economics published in contrast, British writer John toland he tackles a subject that many scholars
throughout the period, he traces argued in 1714 that Jews should be have avoided and in part because his
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
evolving ideas about Jews’ traditional allowed to work in many spheres research is so broad in scope, said
functions in the economy and, based on beyond commerce. Jews were inclined adam sutcliffe, lecturer in early modern
those functions, what rights they should by heritage to make good citizens, he history at King’s college London. “he
have in society. said, and they should be naturalized as ambitiously takes on a long period of
British subjects. more than two centuries, straddling
For example, simone Luzzatto, a the early modern/late modern divide,”
Venetian rabbi and scholar, argued in in 1781, the Prussian christian Wilhelm sutcliffe said of Karp’s book. “this is an
1638 that local Jews were willing and Dohm wrote a book sympathetic toward important strength of his study, enabling
able to take on the risks of foreign Jews that used them as a lens through him to provide a deep exploration of
12

arp’S Book iS
SigNificaNt, iN
part BEcaUSE hE Jews, commerce
And culture
tacklES a SUBJEct
Jonathan Karp is delving further
that maNy ScholarS into historical thought on Jewish
economics this academic year
havE avoidEd aNd as a fellow at the University
of Pennsylvania’s Herbert D.
iN part BEcaUSE hiS Katz Center for Advanced
Judaic Studies. Each year, the
rESEarch iS So Broad center assembles scholars
iN ScopE. from throughout the world to
research and discuss an aspect
— Adam Sutcliffe, King’s College London of Jewish culture. Collaborating
with two other researchers, Karp
helped write the proposal for the
current topic, “Jews, Commerce
and Culture.”
the roots of the emergence of the more the holocaust. and it’s important to
familiar economic associations with Jews understand the debate, because it points
While in residence during
in the period since 1848.” to the fact that anti-semitism didn’t
2008-09, Karp is studying the
spring only from religious prejudice or
Protestant Reformation, which
Karp said he focused on the years 1638 distaste for moneylenders, Karp said.
occurred just before the period
to 1848 because that period marks it also grew out of ambivalence toward
an important transition in thought capitalism. he covers in his recent book.
about the economic roles of Jews. “at His aim is to look at how that
the beginning,” he said, “writers and Because Jews gravitated to commerce, Christian reform movement
debaters were saying, ‘sure, bring the and because people weren’t sure changed the discourse on
Jews in. Let them do their magic. they whether commerce was a good or
Jewish economic identity.
neither want, nor will we give them, any bad force, even when Jews seemed to
Other scholars in the program
political rights.’ Jews were a safe bet as assimilate, people weren’t sure they
specialize in a wide range of
long as they remained non-citizens.” could trust them. “they’d say, ‘aha! they
subjects, such as Jews in 16th-
are behaving as Jews, because they are
century Mediterranean trade,
But the French Revolution changed the behaving commercially. these people
American business history,
rules. Under the new order, in many may share our language and culture, but
economic life in Israel and the
countries, a person who followed lo- their predominance in commerce shows
cal customs and pledged loyalty to the that they have their own agenda, that economic aspects of the Hasidic
state could become a citizen. in theory, they are a fifth column.’” it did not occur movement.
Jews could gain political rights, but not if to people who thought this way, Karp
It’s about time Jewish historians
they still stood apart as a merchant class. said, that Jews’ commercial orientation
“the fact that Jews were anomalous in was the result of centuries of habituation gave more thought to economic
their occupations was a serious obstacle, and restriction. life, Karp said. “One scholar
in the minds of many statesmen and described Jewish history as a
philosophers, to their acculturation, or For this reason, the focus on traditional
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
head without a body,” he said.
their subordination to the discipline of roles and stereotypes also makes
“It’s as if the material, physical,
citizenship,” Karp said. society faced a Jewish economics a perilous area for
life-sustaining part has been
dilemma: “either we have to kick them scholarship today.“it’s very tricky to talk
generally ignored, and only the
out, or we have to transform them and about the subject objectively, without
stuff that goes on in the head
reform them, so that they’ll no longer be giving perceived ammunition to anti-
is what anybody pays attention
a commercial people.” semitism,” Karp said. “that’s why it’s
to. We’re trying to recover the
such an explosive topic.”
Jewish body.”
that dilemma lasted well beyond the
— Merrill Douglas
period of the book — in fact, until
13

From
social
networking
to
intelligence
research shows
how complex systems
rule everyday life
a new area of research — fittingly called
“complexity science” — embraces the notion
that an ant colony and the human brain,
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
the stock market and Facebook all have
something in common. all are complex
systems, basically huge networks made up
of individual components whose behavior
is difficult to predict.
14

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
15

a deeper understanding of these sys- of course there are plenty of computer
tems’ role in nature — and the emer- science- and engineer-types in coco,
gence of computer science tools sophis- but they work alongside faculty such as
ticated enough to analyze them — offers shelley Dionne, an associate professor
scientists a more realistic framework for in Binghamton’s school of manage-
solving today’s most vexing problems, ment. she’s an mBa-PhD who got her
from global warming to ethnic conflict. first taste of management not as a bud-
ding Wall streeter, but during a dietetic
“the rise of complexity science is not management rotation toward a degree
driven by researchers, but actually from in nutrition.
the complexity in people’s lives,” said
hiroki sayama, an assistant professor “each one of us is a unique mix,” she
in the Department of Bioengineering at said.
Binghamton University. “ten years ago,
a network didn’t make much sense.” she was eager to join the group, but
quickly discovered that when they finally
today networks and complex systems got face to face, all that interdisciplinary
are everywhere, and there are several joie de vivre didn’t come baggage-free.
university-based centers and journals
devoted exclusively to their study. “We had no idea how to talk to each
other,” Dionne said.
“it’s a fundamental conceptual shift,”
sayama said. in other words, they had swarm intelli-
gence while she had sWot, that classic
It’s a different world business tool of identifying strengths,
at Binghamton, an interdisciplinary weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
group founded in 2007 to study the
collective dynamics of complex sys- other members came to the table with
tems goes by the name coco. Perhaps similar diversity: Research interests in-
the most striking characteristic of the clude public administration, biomimet-
group is that instead of talking about an ics and environmental toxicology.
interdisciplinary approach, it lives and
breathes it. it took time, Dionne said. and, it turned
out, a lot of office supplies. “Week after
“there are many people who claim to week, drawing pictures on white boards
be interdisciplinary — it’s the computer until we were out of ink,” she said.
scientist working with the electrical en-
gineers,” sayama, coco’s director, said What emerged was a shared passion
with a laugh. for understanding group dynamics. the
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
Hiroki Sayama
16

computer scientists might be happily
creating swarm simulators or explain-
ing the latest in agent-based modeling,
“the rise of complexity
but, she too, could dive headfirst into
creating ways for businesses to survive
the shift from Dilbert days to dynamic
science is not driven by
global leadership.
researchers, but actually
“gone are the days i sit in my cubicle
alone for eight hours a day,”she said, de-
scribing today’s corporate environment.
from the complexity
“gone.”
in people’s lives.”
it is exactly that rapid-fire change of
today’s business climate that has shown
the pressing need for a new framework,
— Hiroki Sayama
said Ken thompson, a United Kingdom-
based expert in the area of bioteaming,
swarming and virtual enterprise net-
works and teams, which draws heavily
on the understanding of complex sys- responsiveness are king,” he said. “We
tems in nature. his most recent book is urgently need to find a new model
Bioteams: High Performance Teams Based which recognizes that organizations are
on Nature’s Most Successful Designs. not predictable systems, like clocks, but
unpredictable ecosystems, like living
traditional business teams rely too things. the natural place to look for this
heavily on a single dominant struc- model is nature itself with its numerous
ture — command and control, also examples of self-organizing systems and
known as individually led teams, he teams in ants, bees, dolphins, wolves,
said, drawing from the military. such an geese and many more.”
approach “served us well in the era of
mass production when costs, consistency one of sayama’s research goals is to cre-
and compliance were everything,” ate some way to self-organize heteroge-
thompson said. neous swarms with several distinct types
of particles into specific spacial patterns
But that model falls well short in today’s so one can evolve the internal mecha-
world full of “networks, dynamic alli- nism. he envisions a system in which,
ances, virtual collaborations — where collectively, robots can spontaneously
agility, innovation, added-value and create behaviors.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
17

From ‘fringe’ to center stage
David schaffer, a member of coco and
a visiting research professor in the De-
“Gone are the days partment of Bioengineering who also
works as a research fellow at Philips Re-
search, connected with sayama through
i sit in my cubicle their shared belief that the concepts
from modern complexity theory have
alone for eight hours something to offer societal problems.
it’s an idea that didn’t seem to get much
traction in the wider world until recently,
a day. Gone.” he said.
so it must be satisfying for scientists
— Shelley Dionne such as schaffer, whose dissertation
was on genetic algorithms — something
once considered on the “lunatic fringe,”
he said — to see their ideas get so much
respect. today evolutionary computation
is seeping into every aspect of engineer-
“that’s the key idea of any complex ing and more applications are on the
system,” sayama said. “it’s very hard to horizon, he said.
predict.”
“i’m kind of the utopian thinker,” schaf-
But what’s not difficult to envision, es- fer said. “i think we can do better than
pecially for the younger generation, is we are doing.”
the concept that groups react differently
than individuals when part of a network, coco’s research focus is both “new and
he said. old,” said Yaneer Bar-Yam, professor and
president of the new england complex
think of today’s college students, saya- systems institute, a cambridge-based
ma said. they get up, check Facebook, nonprofit research and education insti-
send e-mails. their lives are all about tute. sayama did his post-doctoral work
connection. there and they still collaborate.
“they are already aware that everything it’s as old as the groundbreaking
is networked,” he said. “they already economic theory of adam smith’s
understand they are part of something “invisible hand,” put forth in the
bigger.” 1700s, and evolution itself, which of
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
18

course didn’t happen by one piece, Bar- infrastructure, both physical and social,
Yam said. and see the consequences unfold, some
unforeseen.
What’s new are the computer science-
based tools available for understanding it’s much the same in the real world.
and analyzing these ideas.
“Patterns develop within cities based on
“and hiroki is one of the pioneers in the people making personal decisions —
field,” Bar-Yam said. leaving neighborhoods if they can,
or staying if they can’t,” Wilson said.
a recent national science Foundation “We are all interacting with each other.”
grant of more than $550,000 confirms
that view and provides coco at Bing- the neighborhood Project has been
hamton with the resources the group able to map seemingly intangible — but
will need to explore and expand its utterly familiar — neighborhood charac-
evolutionary perspective on collective teristics. one part of its research found a
decision making. correlation between high marks for car-
ing neighbors and the level of holiday
David sloan Wilson, a distinguished decorations in a neighborhood.
professor of biology and anthropology
at Binghamton, a member of coco the juxtaposition of high science and
and the director of the interdisciplinary holiday displays is nothing new. “Bing-
evolutionary studies (evos) program hamton has always valued integration,”
at Binghamton, said it is coco’s Wilson said, mentioning the University’s
“combination of evolutionary theory and Languages across the curriculum pro-
complexity theory that is so special.” gram.“i think it’s one of the great things
about the University. in order to have
so, too, is its emphasis on using its integration, you have to have a com-
research to solve real-world problems. mon language — one is the common
language of evolutionary theories and
Wilson is part of the Binghamton neigh- complexity.”
borhood Project, a collaboration among
Binghamton faculty and community and that relatively new addition of
partners that uses coco to help make evolutionary theory to the study of com-
neighborhoods stronger. plexity science means a great deal more
landscape for great thinkers to explore
think of simcity, Wilson said, referring together.
to the popular computer game that chal-
— Kathleen Ryan O’Connor
lenges users to create a city. You create
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
Shelley Dionne
19

earnest money:
experimental
economics
puts the
world of
finance
under
a microscope
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
20

What happens when economics steps
into the lab? can you test it? touch it?
Poke it?
of course.
the result is experimental economics, the financial crisis has left many 401(k)-
a growing discipline that reaches into watchers wishing they could go back to
nearly every aspect of life, from the school to learn more about terms such
best auditing standards to how much as credit default swaps and “naked”
candy an 8-year-old might share short selling, or understand better the
with a classmate. Researchers use accounting wizardry at work behind the
reproducible, scientifically rigorous massive federal bailout of Wall street.
experiments to test fundamental
economic questions. it also has served to bring into sharp
relief the role of self-interest in financial
steven schwartz, associate professor of transactions.
accounting in Binghamton’s school of
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
management, is gaining notice from top self-interest takes center stage in “the
academic journals for his work in the effect of honesty and superior authority
field, including a recent investigation on Budget Proposals,” a paper schwartz
into the interplay between authority and researched with colleagues Frederick W.
honesty in the budgeting process. Rankin of colorado state University
and Richard a. Young of the ohio state
and his work comes at a good time for University. their findings were recently
economics, if also a bad time for the published by The Accounting Review, a
economy. top-three journal in the field.
21

Steven Schwartz
here, they take previous research that the design of the experiments. the idea schwartz and his colleagues discovered
shows subordinates have differing is to strike a balance between the relative that the most honesty came from giving
degrees of honesty in the budget- simplicity of a controlled laboratory subordinates final say over the budget.
ing process and move it several steps setting and all the messy motivations that is, when employees are trusted to
further — manipulating interactions that make up human nature. do the right thing, they tend to do it.
to see what produces incremental
differences in honesty. For example, in order to recreate a one- this is not to say that employees should
shot exchange between a manager and be trusted entirely. schwartz’s results
Does it matter if the subordinate or a worker over a budget in a lab setting, also suggest that while having the
superior has final say over the budget schwartz and his colleagues found a way superior set the budget may be resented
approval? Will employees be more or to give participants enough experience by employees, it does benefit the firm
less honest when they have to state to “get” the idea of the experiment, but through greater control.
the true cost of the budget versus not skew results by having them get too
something more akin to an offer? all comfortable with each other. Participants taken together, this research shows that
of these, schwartz and his colleagues interacted for 20 rounds, but were companies must be careful in choosing
discovered, affect honesty. and often randomly re-matched after each round. just the right amount of authority for
the smallest difference in control has the their managers. give them too much
biggest impact — a more finely tuned that same attention to detail was and employees will act with resentment;
understanding than can be gleaned from maintained when it came to money. too little, and they will run roughshod
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
mountains of data. over corporate policies.
as the budget communication
schwartz, like all experimental manipulation played out, the subordinate it’s in this way that experimental eco-
economists, must find creative ways either proposed an allocation of the nomics can trump traditional economic
to simulate the real world — he project’s profit to the superior — they models: it is better at capturing human
has also researched the best way to tagged this the “no factual assertion” behavior that isn’t always rational.
teach experiments in the accounting treatment — or reported the project’s
management classroom — so an exact cost to the superior — the “factual and accounting, like human nature, is
incredible amount of attention goes into assertion” treatment. a natural application for the methods
22

steven schwartz and his
colleagues discovered
that the most honesty
came from giving
subordinates final say
over the budget. that
is, when employees are
trusted to do the right
thing, they tend to do it.
of experimental economics, said shyam schwartz was attracted to experimental “You are not going to lie for a nickel,” he
sunder, a professor at the Yale school of economics for its hands-on approach explained.
management and a noted experimental and its respect for the enduringly popu-
economist. as a largely institutional lar game theory, or how people react But boost that reward to a quarter and
discipline, even small changes to ac- strategically in situations where com- all of a sudden fibbing emerges — or so
counting can have large consequences. peting strategies are at work. schwartz the experiments said.
describes it all simply as “fun.”
“of course no experience in the labora- “But we found that’s not really the
tory will give you a perfect prediction. that sense of fun has translated into case,” he said. he has seen firsthand
that doesn’t happen even in science, but all sorts of creative approaches, from how subjects forgo all types of selfish
it gives you some idea, on a small scale, finding a way to measure cooperation behavior in favor of more benevolent
what might happen if you made this mathematically to pondering eBay’s social norms.
change, and that gives you a little more feedback mechanism. schwartz has also
confidence on which path to choose,” discovered that he shares a passion for so we’re not just servants of our own
sunder said. the motivations of honesty and altruism self-interest?
with top names in the field such as
sunder recently attended a conference ernst Fehr of the University of Zurich in not at all.
where a group of researchers wanted to switzerland, who recently published a
know whether auditors choosing their provocative paper on the roots of sharing “People,” he said, “are much more will-
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
own standards or norms would lead to by testing children and candy. ing to return a kindness with a kindness
an increase in compliance. than you think.”
schwartz also shares an interest in
“they found, yes, it makes a significant — Kathleen Ryan O’Connor
showing how economics can turn
difference,” he said. “if you have a chance conventional wisdom on its head. he
to participate in deciding the norms and recalled a famous experiment, some 20
standards, you stick to them more, even years ago, in which researchers found
if, in auditing context, it means personal that if lying would net you only a paltry
sacrifice.” sum as a reward, you wouldn’t do it.
23

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
24
CovER SToRY

CovER SToRY
soun
strategy
compoSEr
diSSEctS
hiS
crEativE
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
procESS
25

CovER SToRY
paUl goldStaUB
rUNS a laBoratory
of SortS
the Binghamton University professor the poems, a series of spanish folk lyrics
translated into Russian by K.D. Balmont
does extensive reading and research, about a century ago, were translated into
english by martin Bidney, a professor
delves into the history of his field, emeritus of english at Binghamton.
When Bidney first shared them with
jots down ideas in a journal, performs goldstaub in 2005, there were more than
350 short poems addressing a variety of
experiments and tests his theories with themes.
the help of sophisticated software. then By may 2008, goldstaub had committed
he watches as it all comes together in a to writing a piece inspired by this poetry
in time for a premiere at the 2009 edition
live concert performance. of musica nova, the annual concert
of new music that he directs each
February.
goldstaub, an award-winning composer
who joined the music Department’s
“i’m very fortunate in that almost
faculty in 1998, sees numerous
everything i write gets performed,”
similarities between his work and that
said goldstaub, whose work has been
of the scientists whose labs are in the
played at Lincoln center, carnegie hall
building next door.
and as far away as Japan. “sometimes
i’m writing for a specific occasion or
“although we all hope for the lightning
situation and that in some ways helps
bolt of inspiration, whether you are a
me decide the style. here at Binghamton
scientist or an explorer or an artist, there
with the musica nova concerts, it’s
is a lot of what i call pre-compositional
an atmosphere that seems to invite
thinking and research going on,” he said.
experimentation. People have trusted
“a scientist might spend years studying
me to make interesting concerts and
the available literature, doing sample ex-
i’m delighted to say, ‘We’re going on a
periments, designing problems that lead
musical journey. come along.’”
up to the big question. he might spend
weeks, months or years walking around
harold Reynolds, a trombonist and
the outside of the problem, deciding
professor at ithaca college, has worked
first of all: What is the question? that is
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
with goldstaub for more than 20 years.
a process similar to what i go through.
he has commissioned works from
Before writing a note comes years of
goldstaub, both as a soloist and for an
general research on the topic.”
ensemble.
take goldstaub’s major project in 2008,
“it’s really exciting to get a piece that’s
for example. he spent much of the year
written for you because it’s something
composing a 25-minute piece inspired
brand new that no one else has,”
by a group of poems he first read three
Reynolds said. “it’s an organic process
years earlier.
26

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
CovER SToRY
27

CovER SToRY
when you work with a composer. i find
it exhilarating.”
he said goldstaub has attended
early rehearsals and worked with
the performers, occasionally making
changes in the piece. “Paul is so close
to the work that he does,” Reynolds
said. it’s so integral to his being that he
feels like part of the piece itself. he has
a built-in interest in being right in the
middle of it.”
Reynolds said he appreciates the
personal, even spiritual quality of
goldstaub’s compositions.
“Paul’s works are always introspective.
often they reflect deep-seated emotions
he’s going through at the time. i like that
because it’s really genuine. he gives a lot
of thought to what he wants to say.”
in 2008, that process brought goldstaub
to western new York, where he sought
inspiration on a working vacation near
a lake. “several hours were spent just
reading the poems over and over and
deciding which ones spoke to me,” he
said. While there, goldstaub whittled
down the number of poems he was
considering for the piece to about 50.
he also kept a journal about the
process. “it’s filled with my thoughts
Baritone Timothy LeFebvre, left, about structure, questions i wanted
to ask myself and references to music
will perform the composition
from other composers,” he said, citing
featuring poetry translated by
schumann, Britten and Berlioz as well
Martin Bidney, center. Paul
as some contemporary composers.
Goldstaub, right, wrote the music.
During the summer, goldstaub recorded
Bidney reading many of the poems
aloud and thought about how the poetry
would interact with the music. “that’s a
great miracle,” goldstaub said. “music
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
expands the emotion of the text.”
By June, goldstaub was seeing recur-
ring themes in the poems and they were
beginning to coalesce into groups. after
one breakthrough, he made a diagram
in his journal. “i drew a picture of how
i wanted the overall piece to sound,” he
said. “Usually i go with a more intuitive
28

CovER SToRY
approach. i decided in this case to do as perhaps in a quiet register? maybe yes.
and doctoral degrees from the east-
much pre-compositional planning and that’s sound. Does the melody consist of
man school of music at the University
structuring as possible. notes that are close together? Does the
of Rochester. “But now i can share the
melody jump around? are the harmonies
sketches i’m hearing in my head with
“For some other compositions i’ve stable? are they restful? Do they move
others during the process, even before
worked differently, which is to say, from dissonance to consonance? is it
working with the actual performers.
i’ll start building the front porch and the reverse? Do i want to obliterate
it also means i can somehow be more
maybe there’ll be a dining room and harmony? the same with rhythm. some
objective. i can listen to the music as an
oh, maybe the wallpaper will have meters will fit the poetry exactly, some
audience member more easily and ef-
stripes. that’s more intuitive, and very will not. how about that conflict? Does
ficiently.”
valid, but for this new piece i decided it even have to be a conflict? and there
to take a more architectural approach. finally comes the question of growth,
the software also makes it relatively
it means that i spent time asking myself which is: What is this piece as a whole
simple to experiment with various tem-
a lot of quiet questions. i feel i know going to mean? What is the shape of the
pos and with the ways different instru-
where i’m going. i have a beginning, a entire piece?”
ments might sound together.
middle and an end.
goldstaub came to see Bidney’s poetic
By october, goldstaub had narrowed
“now that i have my blueprint, the intu- translations as a sort of dialogue between
the selection of poems even further.
ition kicks in.” individuals in a relationship, from the
it was clear that the still-untitled
earliest stages of attraction — in love
composition would have 10 sections
goldstaub may have a plan as he works, with the loving, if you will — to darker
divided into two parts, and that portions
but he also strives to remain open to themes of envy and scorn and then a
of the piece would be sung by a man
new ideas. a sketch that initially doesn’t resolution and brightness.
and three women. goldstaub had also
seem to work may find its way back settled on a pianist and two or three
into the composition later. “the piece “one of the mysteries of music is
percussionists who would play several
is constantly changing, even though i how it can open the door to various
different instruments. Baritone timothy
know where i’m going,” he said. interpretations,” he said. “martin
LeFebvre, also a professor of music
and i are looking forward to what
at Binghamton, will be the featured
one way he tests out ideas is through the experience of hearing the poetry
performer.
a computer program called sibelius. and music together will do for our
the music-notation software allows listeners.”
as portions of the composition came
goldstaub to generate sheet music that into focus, goldstaub said he relied on
— Rachel Coker
can easily be read by performers. it also the five elements of music — sound,
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
enables him to save his work as an audio melody, harmony, rhythm and growth —
file and play it back with any of several to inform his decisions about the piece.
realistic-sounding instruments.
Visit
“i ask myself, What’s the best way to use
“Part of a composer’s training before each of the five elements to serve the research.binghamton.edu/goldstaub
the digital age was to be able to hear impression i’m getting from the lyrics? if
listen as the
these things in one’s head,” said gold- it’s a quiet, mellow, reflective thing, i’m composition
staub, who holds a bachelor’s degree thinking, What sound world is that? is it evolves.
from ithaca college as well as master’s piccolo? Probably not. is it a male voice,
29

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
30

Partnering
Parents
with
Nurse on a mission
to ‘rescue childhood’
ten years after the horrific
massacre at columbine high
school sharpened the nation’s
views on youth violence,
mary muscari sees cause for
optimism — and for deep
concern — about the way
adolescents are growing up in
america.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
31

“ Technology has
changed The way kids
relaTe, and iT has
Taken away some of
Their social skills.
… iT’s noT To say
Technology is a bad
Thing, buT iT can be
abused.
” — Mary Muscari
“many things have gotten better. school shootings are horrible
things, but they’re incredibly rare,” she said. “schools are still
basically a safe place. however, we have enormous issues with
bullying and cyberbullying. We have too many kids who don’t
realize these are nasty things to do.”
muscari, associate professor of nursing at Binghamton
University and a nationally known expert on parenting, has
worked with juvenile delinquents since the early 1980s. as a
pediatric nurse practitioner, she has also worked with healthy
children throughout her more than 30-year career. muscari,
author of five books for parents, has conducted parenting
workshops around the country on topics such as keeping kids
safe from predators, bullying and how to raise nonviolent kids.
she approaches the problem of youth violence using a public
health model, she said.
“We have primary, secondary and tertiary prevention,” muscari
explained. “We have kids without any issue at all, and you’re
trying to keep them on an even keel. We have kids who are
at risk and need more early intervention. and then we have
kids who are already having problems requiring more intensive
interventions.”
muscari recalls vividly how the columbine shootings, in which
two teenagers killed 13 people and wounded 21 others before
committing suicide, changed her professional life. she was
scheduled to lead a youth violence workshop for teachers
and counselors the week of the incident in april 1999 and
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
was expecting perhaps 10 or 15 people to attend. after the
shootings, organizers moved her to a room that could hold 75.
it filled to capacity, and muscari began making plans for what
became her first book, Not My Kid: 21 Steps to Raising a Non-
Violent Child.
the no-nonsense book, written in language any parent can
understand, includes ways to help children build self-esteem,
manage stress and develop tolerance. it also encourages parents
32

How safe are our cHildren?
According to the National Center for Education
Statistics, there is some evidence that student safety
has improved in recent years. The victimization rate of
students ages 12-18 at school declined between 1992
and 2005.
to watch for warning signs such as aggressive outbursts in pre-
However, the center
schoolers or mistreatment of animals in adolescents — and get
help when they need it. reports, violence,
theft, drugs and
a typically reassuring passage from the book tells parents: weapons continue
“if raising a teenager makes you feel like you’re losing your to pose problems
mind, don’t worry. it’s normal — and temporary. sparked by
in schools. During
raging hormones, adolescence is a period of rapid physical and
the 2005-06 school
emotional transformation that can create a tenuous sense of
year, the most recent for which statistics are available,
balance for both teens and parents.”
86 percent of public schools reported that at least one
violent crime, theft or other crime occurred at their
muscari continues: “some degree of teen-parent
school. In 2005, 8 percent of students in grades 9-12
friction is expected, but disruptive family conflict isn’t
reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in
normal. neither is persistent defiance, fighting or
property destruction. this turmoil represents pathology, the previous 12 months, and 25 percent reported that
and it will not be outgrown. the early appearance of drugs were made available to them on school property.
antisocial behavior is associated with more serious problems In the same year, 28 percent of students ages 12-
later in the adolescent period and on into adulthood.”she goes 18 reported having been bullied at school during the
on to list some behaviors that warrant professional attention, previous six months.
including early experimentation with alcohol or drugs, a lack
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
of close friends and themes of violence or death in writing or Among children ages 5-18, there were 17 school-
artwork. associated violent deaths during the 2005-06 school
year, including 14 homicides and three suicides. In
muscari’s ability to address these concerns clearly and directly
2005, among students ages 12-18, there were about 1.5
has made her not only a sought-after writer but also a popular
million victims of nonfatal crimes at school, including
speaker with several national organizations.
868,100 thefts and 628,200 violent incidents such as
assaults.
“she’s one of the most down-to-earth people i’ve met,” said
Dolores Jones, director of practice, education and research for
33

Mary Muscari
the 7,000-member national association of Pediatric nurse “some of the things you want to do with kids are timeless,”
Practitioners. “she has real-life examples that she’s able to she said.“they need values. We know that kids want values —
bring about kids that she’s seen in her practice. she’s able to and that if they don’t get them at home they’ll look elsewhere
talk about the children she has helped already.” for them. Usually when they look on their own they don’t find
very good ones. We know that kids want and need attention
Jones said she considers muscari a role model for other nurse and they’ll do anything to get it. negative behavior gets
practitioners. “educating is one of the most vital roles that attention faster than positive behavior. it’s easier to be bad
nurses play,” Jones said. “Being able to talk to the public in a than it is to be good. so some of these things don’t change
way that people can understand is a special talent.” with time.
Part of muscari’s motivation when it comes to working on “What i try to do is to say, ‘now how can we do that today?’
youth violence is the opportunity to break what can become a We do need to spend more time with kids; it’s not just
cycle of behavior. quality. they want quantity, too. What i try to do is work
with parents to find time and to say, ‘here are some
“When you have a child who’s a victim and a child who’s a options.’”
perpetrator, you really have two victims,” she said. “You have
two lives that are damaged. We really should not have all these that might mean turning breakfast into the family meal
violent kids. Kids act up, of course, but the extremes that we see if everyone’s too busy to sit down to dinner together, for
are a failure of society.” instance.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
muscari begins each book project with a literature review, muscari acknowledges that parents today face certain new
examining pediatric journals and other expert sources. she takes challenges.
what she finds as well as what she sees in her own practice and
in workshops with parents, and endeavors to come up with a the increased sexualization of childhood is one, she said,
book that parents can — and will — read. recounting the story of a mother who struggled to find a
bathing suit appropriate for her young daughter. another
“my mantra is that kids are not just small adults,” said is the way technology has changed adolescents’ dating
muscari, whose core philosophy could be summed up as relationships, allowing teens to be in touch through text
old-fashioned parenting for today’s times. messages and e-mail essentially all day and all night.
34

Mary Muscari’s
books for parents
The Everything Guide to Raising
Adolescent Girls (with lead author Moira
McCarthy)
The Everything Guide to Raising
Adolescent Boys (with lead author Robin
Elise Weiss)
Not My Kid: 21 Steps to Raising a
Non-Violent Child
Not My Kid 2: Protecting Your Children
from the 21 Threats of the 21st Century
Let Kids Be Kids: Rescuing Childhood
The first two are from Adams Media, while
the other three were published by University
of Scranton Press. Proceeds from the Not
My Kid and Let Kids Be Kids books were
donated to the Keep Your Child Safe and
Secure Campaign, which promotes child
mental health.
“Forty years ago, mom could stop you from answering the
phone,” muscari said.“it was on the wall. i know my mom did.
We didn’t have the internet. technology has changed the way
kids relate, and it has taken away some of their social skills.
Back then, we had to talk to people face to face if we wanted
to talk. it’s not to say technology is a bad thing, but it can be
abused.”
she also worries about how children and adults alike have
become desensitized to violence through videogames, movies
or other media. muscari said she often asks people whether
“i think it helps that i don’t have kids,” she said. “i can be
they thought for just a second that they were watching a movie
objective about kids i’ve worked with as opposed to thinking
when they saw coverage of the terrorist attacks on sept. 11,
about what my own kids are like. some people say, ‘how can
2001. the vast majority tell her they did, she said.
you write about kids when you don’t have kids?’ i think it’s an
advantage because i’m never comparing to what i have. i’ve also
other parenting concerns have changed relatively little over
had the advantage of work experience with perfectly healthy
time, muscari said.
kids — and a lot of them — as well as kids with psychological
problems who haven’t done anything illegal and kids who have
she has adopted a fight against materialism as an ongoing
broken the law. i’m fortunate to have a background that runs
cause, for example. she encourages parents to ask their children
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
the gamut, from one extreme to the other.”
in January what they received for christmas. “You’ll see they
already can’t remember many of the gifts,” she said, suggesting
muscari said she wrote her first book hoping to help at least one
that parents think about whether an item will still be a prized
child. she hopes now she has had an effect on many more.
possession years later before putting it into the shopping cart.
“it’s very rewarding,”she said.“there are results. and there’s no
muscari has many qualifications for this work, including a
better reward than knowing you helped a kid.”
master’s degree in pediatrics, a doctorate in nursing as well as
post-master’s certificates in psychiatric nursing and forensic
— Rachel Coker
nursing. But she is not a parent.
35

seaRch smaRts
new technoloGy could leAve web ‘crAwlers’ in the dust
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
36

one day in the not-too-distant future, you’ll
be able to type a query into an online search
engine and have it deliver not Web pages
that may contain an answer, but just the
answer itself.
User: “Who starred in the film Casablanca?”
Search Engine: “humphrey Bogart and ingrid Bergman.”
not impressed?
imagine asking a more nuanced question, such as “What do
americans think of offshore drilling?” a search engine will be
able to respond with a report indicating trends in opinion based
on what has been posted to the Web.
search engines may eventually be used to conduct polling and
even help sort fact from fiction, said Weiyi meng, a professor
of computer science at Binghamton University. he’s helping
to make such futuristic possibilities a reality, both through his
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
research and as president of a company called Webscalers.
the way meng sees it, big search engines such as google and
Yahoo are fundamentally flawed.
You see, the Web has two parts: the surface Web and the deep
Web. the surface Web is made up of perhaps 60 billion pages.
the deep Web, at some 900 billion pages, is about 15 times
larger.
37

not only cAn A metAseArch
enGine Probe deePer, it cAn Also
offer the lAtest informAtion.
google, which relies on a “crawler” to examine pages and the Web has about 1 million search engines. most universities
catalog them for future searches, can search about 20 billion have search engines, most newspapers have search engines and
pages, just a small fraction of the entire Web. Web crawlers many companies and organizations have search engines. since
follow links to reach pages and often miss content that isn’t 1997, and with the support of five grants from the national
linked to any other page or is in some other way “hidden.” science Foundation, meng and his collaborators have found
innovative ways to run queries across multiple search engines
meng, along with colleagues at the University of illinois at and sort through the results.
chicago and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has
helped pioneer large-scale metasearch-engine technology that Webscalers, founded in 2002, is now based in the start-Up suite
harnesses the power of numerous small search engines to come at Binghamton University’s innovative technologies complex,
up with results that are more accurate and more complete. which is home to several young companies that have their roots
in faculty inventions.
“most of the pages on the deep Web aren’t directly ‘crawlable.’
We want to connect to small search engines and reach the “if the Web keeps on growing, a company like google may
deep Web,” he said. “that’s the idea. many people have the run out of resources to crawl all of those pages,” said Vijay V.
misconception that google can search everything, and if it’s not Raghavan, a vice president of Webscalers and a distinguished
there it doesn’t exist. But we should be able to retrieve many professor of computer science at the University of Louisiana
times more than what google can search.” at Lafayette. “We won’t have that problem. We will scale much
better.”
not only can a metasearch engine probe deeper, it can also
offer the latest information. the firm has already launched several metasearch products.
“in principle,” meng noted, “small guys are much better able to the first is a news metasearch engine called allinonenews.
maintain the freshness of their data. google has a program to available at www.allinonenews.com, it connects to 1,800
‘crawl’ all over the world. Depending on when the crawler has news sources in 200 countries. that’s the largest metasearch
last visited your server, there’s a delay of days or weeks before engine in the world.
a new page will show up in that search. We can get fresher
results.” Webscalers also offers mysearchView, a customized
metasearch-engine generation system that allows any user
the concept is not new. in fact, the first metasearch engine was to create his or her own metasearch engine just by checking
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
built in 1994. off a few options at v2.mysearchview.com.
“the big difference between our technology and the ones that site is a showcase for the company’s attempts to develop
pursued by other people is that most of the other technologies automated solutions to link multiple search engines.
do the metasearching on top of a small number of general-
purpose search engines, such as Yahoo, google or msn,”meng this kind of technology could be useful for large organizations
explained. “We have a completely different perspective. We with many branches or divisions. if each one has its own search
want to build large-scale metasearch engines on top of many engine, but the organization as a whole does not, a metasearch
small search engines.” engine can connect all of the parts to the whole.
38

Weiyi Meng
For example, Webscalers has developed a prototype that would
allow a search of all 64 campuses in the state University of new
York system as well as sUnY’s central administration.
“People can use it to find collaborators,” meng said. “it
could also help prospective students find programs they’re
interested in.”
the technology could be adapted to large companies or even
the government, meng said.
Webscalers has incorporated another unusual feature in its
allinonenews metasearch engine called a “semantic match.”
a search engine that’s capable of making such a match will find
results for words with the same meaning, even if they’re not
part of the original query. it will include pages with the word
“ballerina” if you search for “ballet dancer,” for example, and
“hypertension” if you search for “high blood pressure.”
challenges for large-scale metasearch engines include
determining which search engines are the best for a given
query, automating the interaction with search engines as well
as organizing the search results. meng and his colleagues
have done extensive and pioneering research on these topics,
publishing about 50 papers so far.
meng hopes to one day build a grand metasearch engine that
would integrate all of the 1 million small search engines into
a single system. “there are still a lot of significant challenges
in creating a system of such magnitude,” he said, “but i am
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
optimistic that such a metasearch engine can be built.”
— Rachel Coker
39

cultivating entrepreneurs
BINGHAMTON PROVES TO BE FERTILE GROUND FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
40

there’s Binghamton University technology inside
nearly every computer.
that’s because Jiayuan Fang was encouraged to
follow through on a great idea he had while he was
on campus.
Fang, then an associate professor of electrical engineering
at Binghamton, developed and patented software that can
provide electromagnetic analysis of integrated circuits from
chip to package to board, assessing overall power and signal
performance. today, he’s the founder and president of a
company that counts iBm, cisco, sony, samsung, Lg and
other leading manufacturers among its clients.
“Virtually all the computer companies right now are using
our tools,” said Fang, who noted these tools help these firms
make computer technology more reliable, faster and cheaper.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
how does a faculty member’s breakthrough concept travel from
campus to the marketplace? generally, that happens through
a process known as technology transfer. at Binghamton, the
office of technology transfer and innovation Partnerships
offers guidance and encouragement to faculty members who
may have a discovery worthy of a patent. once the University
invests in patent protection, the office works to license the
technology’s use to an existing company or a start-up firm.
41

“What is the Mission of
a university? it’s the
creation and disseMination
of knoWledge. noW think
about What technology
is. it’s part of knoWledge.
in 2007-08, Binghamton faculty members filed 28 new
technology disclosures and 19 patent applications. Royalties
When you look at
rose by 59 percent. While technology transfer is about ideas,
not numbers, these statistics are still an important sign that the
technology transfer as
culture on campus is changing and that faculty members are
responding to an environment that nurtures entrepreneurship,
said eugene Krentsel, assistant vice president for technology
a part of the creation
transfer and innovation Partnerships.
and disseMination of
“When you talk to faculty, what excites them is an opportunity
to make an impact on people’s lives, both in their community
knoWledge, it becoMes
and, more importantly, nationally and globally,” Krentsel
said. “that’s where technology transfer comes in, because by
transferring that knowledge, we’re able to change people’s
part of the critical
lives. that’s the driving force.”
Mission of any university.”
Fang’s story offers a dramatic illustration of that drive to make
a difference.
— Eugene Krentsel
sigrity, the company he created about 10 years ago to help
customers overcome design challenges due to ever-increasing
circuit speed in the world of integrated circuits, packages and
printed circuit boards, now employs about 100 people. it has
offices worldwide, including locations in new York, california,
texas, china, india, Japan and germany.
sigrity negotiated an exclusive license on the patents owned
by the Research Foundation of sUnY, which has generated
more than $1 million in revenue to Binghamton University.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
Fang was honored as the Licensee of Distinction in 2008 by
the University’s office of technology transfer and innovation
Partnerships, in conjunction with the small scale systems
integration and Packaging center (s3iP). his entrepreneurial
spirit was an important factor in choosing him for the honor,
Krentsel said.
Fang said he received important encouragement both from
people on campus and at greater Binghamton companies to
42

pursue his discovery. such support is vital, especially because
it can take three years or longer to complete the process of
applying for a patent.
scott hancock, assistant director of technology transfer at
Binghamton, said the patent process is arduous but also useful
and stimulating. he has seen faculty members’ work take
on a new direction after meeting with a patent attorney and
reconsidering one element of their idea or another.
that process helps to prepare researchers to respond to the
challenges that often lie ahead as licensing deals are worked
out and investors consider whether to become involved in a
project.
“We’re trying to maximize returns to the University, inventors,
the region and students,” hancock said. “We take a big-picture
view. it’s a partnership. We need the faculty member’s active
collaboration. it’s a hands-on endeavor that requires time,
creativity and insight.”
Fang said technology transfer challenges faculty members
to consider the needs of industry in a way that pure research
usually does not. “it certainly requires different thinking,” he
said.
that’s not to say that technology transfer is a distraction
from research and teaching, however. in fact, Krentsel places
technology transfer at the core of a research institution’s goals.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
“What is the mission of a university?” he asked. “it’s the
creation and dissemination of knowledge. now think about
what technology is. it’s part of knowledge. When you look at
technology transfer as a part of the creation and dissemination
of knowledge, it becomes part of the critical mission of any
university.”
— Rachel Coker
43

Whole lot of
going on
Tiny devices may lead to advances for technology
ranging from cell phones to air bags
the vIBratIoNS Start.
a LIGht SWItch fLIPS. a car craSheS.
the earth MoveS.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
a tINY StrUctUre INSIDe a
MIcrochIP SeNSeS the chaNGe,
aND SIGNaLS a chaNGe ItSeLf.
the LIGht tUrNS oN. the aIr BaGS DePLoY.
a SeISMIc Meter tWItcheS.
44

For years scientists have known that tiny parts within tiny
chips vibrate, and those vibrations, triggered by motion
stopping or starting, can in turn trigger an action. But
just as mothers know chicken soup works for a cold —
without understanding the science behind it — engineers
are still studying why these tiny vibrations occur, and
how to harness them.
mohammad Younis has worked for years technology in irbid, Jordan, and came
to understand the vibrations and me- to the United states for his master’s
chanics of these miniscule micro-electro- and doctoral degrees at Virginia tech. it
mechanical systems, known as mems. was there, in Blacksburg, Va., that
Younis’ work combines materials and Younis first discovered mems.
chemical engineering with physics in a
multi-million-dollar Binghamton Uni- his adviser warned him that his chosen
versity laboratory with a multi-disci- path of study wasn’t a typical master’s-
plinary team. he believes that knowing level project — it was more. Younis still
how to control the vibrations will lead to finished in a year and a half and contin-
better uses of the chips — faster air bags, ued the work as a doctoral student.
more accurate seismic readings or scores
of other uses no one has thought of yet. the interdisciplinary nature of the study
intrigued him.
“it’s like the invention of airplanes,”
Younis said. “the Wright brothers made “You need to know mechanical and
their plane. But without understanding electrical engineering,” he said. “You
the laws of physics and the airplane and need to know, for example, about solid
aerodynamics, we would not have the mechanics, electricity, so it’s what i call
planes we have today.” multi-physics. … i’m trying to tackle
those disciplines — thermal, fluid, elec-
“it’s sort of the same,” he said of mems. trical, you name it.”
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
“People fabricated mems, and then
there was a lag between understanding the mems and nanotechnology ex-
the physics and the fabrication.” change, a clearinghouse for mems’
interests both corporate and academic,
Younis grew up in Jordan, defines mems as “the integration of
where his interest in math and mechanical elements, sensors, actua-
science was piqued as a child. he tors and electronics on a common sili-
studied mechanical engineering at con substrate through microfabrication
the Jordan University of science and technology.”
45

sensors gather physical data, which is ruption could cause the chip to trigger Foundation grant for their work. general
processed by the chips’ electronics and, an air bag. electric, along with Binghamton’s inte-
through some decision-making capabil- grated electronics engineering center,
ity, directs a response. a single device that could serve as both awarded him another $50,000.
sensor and trigger would be cheaper
take, for example, mems uses for air to fabricate than a system that requires miles has worked closely with Younis
bags in cars. Vehicles have a complicated several different parts. such a mems since Younis came to Binghamton sever-
system of components, including sen- device might also use less power, and al years ago. Younis’ grasp of theoretical
sors, that triggers the deployment of be less susceptible to shock, even as the mathematics and practical knowledge of
the safety device, Younis said. his work mechanism’s settings could be adjusted dynamics offer a new perspective on the
takes the sensor mechanism a step to cover a wide — or narrow — range of field, miles said.
further, suggesting that car companies acceptable motion. the technology could
could build a single device, using mems be used to protect personal electronics “he’s really working hard to take that
technology, that would simultaneously such as cell phones, preventing damage stuff and figure out how to work that
sense the change in acceleration and when they are dropped, Younis said. or into practical devices,” miles said. “he’s
trigger the air bag. it could help govern major systems such able to have a very deep understanding
as missile defense to prevent accidental of mechanics. that combination is
the mems components could be pro- deployment. something that not everybody has.”
grammed to expect certain velocities
as the driver naturally starts, stops and Younis is one of three Binghamton Uni- the nsF grant funds Younis’ work in a
drives. But an impact that suddenly halts versity faculty members, with Ronald lab testing the thresholds of mems. in
a high velocity, such as a crash, could miles and James Pitarresi, who received one experiment, he mounted a chip on
interrupt the mems system. that inter- a $280,000, three-year national science a shaker that in turn was connected to
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
Mohammad Younis
46

a lamp. When the shaker caused the the project involves not only creating a
chip’s vibrations to accelerate past a cer- trigger mechanism, but also crafting a
tain threshold, the lamp lit. a computer layer sensitive to biological molecules, as
connected to the system measured the noted by project participant omowunmi
signals. sadik, director of the center for ad-
vanced sensor Research and environ-
For his next project, Younis seeks to mental systems at Binghamton.
tap chemistry and biology to use
mems to build a detection system it’s work that Binghamton is uniquely
for dangerous materials such as tnt positioned to support, Younis said,
vapor and anthrax, again working through the small scale systems inte-
in conjunction with Binghamton gration and Packaging center devoted to
researchers. Younis and his colleagues microelectronics. “i’m working on very
propose to explore the feasibility of small devices and structures,” he said,
including a sponge-like substance on “and the University has a unique center
a chip that would trigger a response with sophisticated equipment geared for
when certain particles are captured in those tiny devices.”
the sponge’s cavities. the mems would
react to the chemicals caught in the — Anne Miller
spores much like other systems would
react to a car crash — it would trigger
the mechanism to respond, in this case
as part of a warning system.
An invenTor’s firsT pATenT
Mohammad Younis received his first patent last year for a MeMS device that would detect
acceleration and mechanical shock.
the device, he said, would be able to recognize when something crashed with a high level of
force and then perform a desirable task. applications might range from protecting the hard disk
of a laptop computer to deploying a side-impact air bag.
“this invention represents a revolutionary concept that provides a potentially low-cost,
reliable and manufacturable solution for electronic shock sensors, which could be embedded
in packages and products to detect abuse, and possibly protect sensitive components from
damage,” said Steven M. hoffberg, the lawyer who worked on Younis’ patent application and a
partner with the firm Milde & hoffberg of White Plains, N.Y.
Younis is working on other inventions as well.
he has another patent pending on a similar device that would detect a lower level of acceleration.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
that innovation could prove useful in gas drilling, navigation systems and even early earthquake
detection.
he’s also working with Binghamton chemistry Professor omowunmi Sadik on a “smart” sensor
that can perform an action. the idea is to develop a two-in-one device that would be able to
detect a small mass — such as a biological or chemical gas — and then trigger an alarm or
perform some other action.
47

indusTry
alliesThe CenTer of exCellenCe
Turns CorporaTe parTners
inTo CaTalysTs for disCovery
Dynamic faculty-industry collaborations
fostered by Binghamton University’s
center of excellence result in break-
throughs in disciplines ranging from
chemistry and physics to computer
science and mechanical engineering.
the projects also help to speed up the process of discovery in new areas, said Bahgat
sammakia, director of the small scale systems integration and Packaging center
(s3iP). he noted that flexible electronics — one of the center’s core strengths — is such
a new field that there aren’t many “rules” hindering creativity. “if you don’t have too
many standards, then you have a lot of freedom,” he said. “You can do more research
and discover new things.”
an unusual model governs the interaction between faculty researchers and companies
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
that are members of s3iP’s integrated electronics engineering center (ieec) or center
for advanced microelectronics manufacturing (camm).
at the beginning of each year, there’s a meeting during which representatives of
member companies discuss their research interests.“they give a perspective of short-
term, mid-range and long-term issues as well as whether it’s a research challenge
or a research and development question,” sammakia explained. “these are non-
confidential talks, so we post them on the Web and even faculty who did not attend
can access them.”
48

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
49

Faculty members follow up with questions and and federal sources. “it’s important to do basic
develop research proposals. company engineers science just for the sake of science,” he said. “and
evaluate the proposals and help prioritize them it is good to work with industry. Binghamton is a
for funding and the interests of the center. sam- nascent university. it’s a relatively small campus.
makia chooses 10 to a dozen projects for funding there are a lot of bright people in industry and
through the ieec and a similar number for the it’s interesting to talk to them. it’s stimulating. it’s
camm. “each project has not only funding but a great experience for students, too, especially if
also mentors,” sammakia said. “they can work only 1 in 20 will become a professor.”
together.”
Faculty members present reports three times
eric cotts, professor of physics at Binghamton during the year. member companies evaluate
and co-director of the University’s materials sci- the research and offer feedback. this, sammakia
ence and engineering Program, has researched said, is what sets the process apart from other
lead-free solder with support of the ieec. strong campus-industry projects. the funding model
interactions with people in industry have influ- has been around for a while, but it’s the feedback
enced the focus of his work, he said. mechanism that helps ensure that projects stay
on track and that the results will be useful to the
“corporations tend to distill a problem and have sponsors.
a lot of money focused in particular areas,” cotts
said. “it’s an engineering approach. they tend to Junghyun cho, associate professor of mechanical
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
distill a problem down to its basic physics. … it’s engineering at Binghamton, is working on proj-
a good marriage, if you can find a problem where ects related to thin films through both the camm
you can work on the basic concepts and use their and ieec. the work could lead to flexible solar cell
characterization of the problem. it’s fun.” devices and provide materials and processes that
will make electronic devices smaller and lighter.
cotts said he and his colleagues have taken work
they’ve done with industry partners such as iBm, cho said that in one case the sponsor feedback
texas instruments and Universal instruments gave him the confidence to continue with his
and then developed funding proposals for state work, knowing that it did indeed “make sense.”
50

“The partner said, ‘This has to
be a top priority.’ we upgraded
the project. it led to solving
some fundamental materials
problems.”
— Bahgat Sammakia
center of excellence Goes ‘Green’
with environmentAlly friendly ProJects
“Green” technologies are central to many initiatives of the Small Scale Systems Integration
and Packaging Center (S3IP), from solar power to lead-free electronics.
n In 2008, the Center for Autonomous Solar Power (CASP) was established with $4 million
in federal funding. CASP will focus on tapping into the sun’s immense
supply of renewable energy and make it easily accessible
as a flexible, large-area and low-cost power source. The
multidisciplinary center, led by Director Seshu Desu, will
focus on areas such as solar conversion efficiency, storage
capabilities, solar module stability and power system cost
reduction. CASP will enable people to use solar power in
ways and places they never have before.
n Faculty member Howard Wang and his colleagues continue to
explore the possibilities of printed electronics, which may reduce the
materials wasted and energy used in production. The key there is using an additive
process, rather than a traditional subtractive process, which involves heavy-duty
chemicals and wastes a tremendous amount of copper.
n S3IP offered two summer programs in 2008, one for science teachers and another for
promising students. The Go Green Institute brought together about 50 seventh-graders
for an intensive 10-day, hands-on learning experience centered on the theme of a greener
living environment.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
n The center assists with graduate-level classes in electronics packaging and flexible
electronics via distance-education technology and often relies on videoconferencing
technology rather than having in-person meetings that would require people to travel
from around the country.
n Ongoing S3IP projects also include initiatives related to low-power computing, data
center thermal management and lead-free electronics.
51

“The companies are helping us
build a technology road map
for the camm. They will help us
decide: how should we be building
the center to be of use?”
— Mary Beth Curtin
other projects, he said, just wouldn’t have hap- sammakia said the regular industry-faculty
pened without the industry collaborations. meetings have been so successful at the ieec
that they were introduced to the camm at its
“the partnerships provided motivation for founding several years ago. he anticipates the
initial work and funding that could support process working across the center of excellence,
graduate students, data for publication and including in the new center for autonomous
proof-of-concept experiments that were vital to solar Power (casP), which last year was founded
pursue larger funding from the federal and state with $4 million in federal funding.
governments,” he said. “Without this, it could
have been much tougher to get into this research With the addition of casP, the center of excellence
area.” is building a unique operation with capabilities
unmatched by any other facility in the world. the
sammakia said the regular research status reports camm, which opened its roll-to-roll electronics
also allow work that turns out to be especially prototype manufacturing facility in 2008, has
promising to be fast tracked with additional tremendous potential in terms of new products
funding and staff. that happened recently with as well as economic development, sammakia
a project focused on process development for said. the first prototype products created at the
packaging. “in the middle of the meeting, the University’s facility at endicott interconnect
partner turned to me and said, ‘this has to be a technologies will be ready this year.
top priority. We want you to increase the funding
mary Beth curtin, associate director of s3iP, said
for this project and here are some additional
endicott interconnect is already using some of the
questions we want answered.’ We upgraded the
camm’s tools to investigate future products and
project, a lot more work was done and, of course,
try to commercialize new technologies. she noted
when you do that you get more research and
that member companies will continue to be an
more surprises,” sammakia said.“it led to solving
integral part of decisions regarding the camm’s
some fundamental materials problems.”
facilities and its processes.
traditionally, sponsoring companies or agencies
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
“the companies are helping us build a technology
do not have much contact with researchers for a
road map for the camm,” curtin said. “as we go
year at a time.“By that time, if you get misdirected,
forward, they will help us answer questions like:
you may end up not meeting the requirements
What gaps in tools and infrastructure should we
of your proposal,” sammakia said. “the chances
be addressing? how should we be building the
of success are low. You end up doing something
center to be of use to our partners? What research
interesting and maybe useful but it’s not what the
questions should we tackle?”
sponsor had in mind. We want the work to be not
only relevant and important but exactly what the
— Rachel Coker
company needs.”
52

binghamton university’s center for advanced microelectronics manufacturing helps
to demonstrate the feasibility of roll-to-roll (r2r) electronics manufacturing with its
prototype tools and by establishing processes that produce low-volume test-bed products.
the r2r manufacturing process, one step at a time, as seen at the center:
1 2
a roll of new material arrives and is the material
inspected for surface particulates, is cleaned.
scratches or other imperfections.
3 the roll is inspected
again to verify the
cleaning process.
4 the roll goes to the general vacuum tool
for metallization. the machine precleans
(or “wets”) the surface just before coating
to improve the adhesion of the metal.
5 6
in the resist-apply phase,
now there’s an ultraviolet-sensitive
a photoresist material is
roll of material ready to be exposed,
applied with a spray system
much like a roll of film. the material
or through a slot-die wet
goes through a projection lithography
coating. (This step is the only
system, which can expose up to 24
one performed off site.)
linear inches per minute of web.
7 the material goes through
a developer and is rinsed
and dried.
8
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
the material is etched,
removing the exposed metal
10 that’s not needed.
the metal-patterned roll of material
9
is ready. possible applications
a stripping process
include smart fabrics, sensors
removes the remaining
and medical devices as well as
photoresist material.
consumer electronics.
53

Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
54
l
f
y
u
l
e
g
c
a
r
ag i ng

Binghamton University
leads the way in meeting
a growing demand for
social workers who
specialize in geriatrics.
the generation that first rocked out to
the Rolling stones is now rolling toward
retirement. By 2030 all of the baby
boomers will be 65 or older. and just
as they changed previously accepted
views of sex, music and work, the baby
boomers are going to introduce new
ideas about aging.
that makes the graying of america a
concern for everyone from travel agents
to architects.
social workers are no exception. the
national institute of aging estimates
that 60,000 to 70,000 specialist social
workers will be needed by 2020 to work
with older populations, which is a 40
to 50 percent increase from the current
number of gerontological practitioners.
Binghamton University is at the
vanguard of a movement to address
these needs. With new programming
and partnerships, the University hopes
to help swell the ranks of social workers
who specialize in geriatrics, just in time
to help the nation cope with an expected
tsunami of aging baby boomers in need
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
of social supports.
“social work looks at the person’s
relationship with the environment, and
what’s going on that either supports or
places obstacles in his or her way,” said
Laura Bronstein, chair of the Department
of social Work in Binghamton’s college
of community and Public affairs.
55

The University hopes to boost the
number of social workers who
specialize in geriatrics, just in time
to help the nation cope with an
expected tsunami of aging baby
boomers in need of social supports.
most social workers are drawn to child “our career assessment showed that
funds raised by the department provides
and family practice, but research has 80 percent of these social work graduates
$5,000 annual stipends plus tuition to
shown that when graduate students are are working in geriatrics,” Volland said.
graduate students. it also pays for a part-
exposed to geriatric clients, as well as time supervisor with a master of social
given extra support and training related starting in september 2007, sunha
work degree to work with students who
to working with this segment of the choi, an assistant professor of social
are placed in agencies that do not have
population, it motivates them to work in work at Binghamton, conducted a year-
such a professional on staff.
this field. long assessment of graduate students
who were in these rotational geriatric
“students report that field placement
“this is where the jobs will be because field placements to discover if they were
is the most important part of their
it’s where the clients will be,” Bronstein developing more skills and a greater in-
education, so this money is a wonderful
said. “Whether it’s a school where the terest in the field.
incentive for students to explore geriatric
grandparents are raising grandchildren, social work,” Bronstein said.
or the aging prison population, social students measured their gerontological
workers are increasingly serving older competencies in four areas: values and
the new York academy of medicine
adults in every institution where they ethics; assessment; intervention; and
started looking at access to health care
practice.” aging services, programs and policies.
a decade ago and discovered most
they completed a self-assessment scale
people had difficulty navigating the
Unlike other master of social work pro- before, midway through and following
system. those consumers who were
grams, in which students spend each of the academic year. the department also
also elderly and/or had chronic illnesses
their two years of internship in a single recorded student focus groups answering
found it nearly impossible, said Patricia
field placement, some of Binghamton’s questions.
J. Volland, the academy’s senior vice
graduate students spend one year in president for strategy and business
placements at various social service in may, the students reported gains in
development.
agencies or community organizations. knowledge and experience through the
program. in direct contrast to september,
“We realized there was already a group
they spend one day a week at each they could identify specific areas in
of professionals — social workers —
of two different agencies during the which they would like to gain additional
who could link social service systems
academic year, and research has shown knowledge and skills.
to health care, but weren’t trained to
that this type of exposure nurtures the do this type of work for that particular
future pool of geriatric specialists if one student said, “if you asked me last
population segment,” she added.
the placements involve elderly clients. semester, if i wanted to (work with older
“it’s as much developing interest as adults), i would have said no, not really.
the academy’s educational model
expertise in working with older adults,” But i actually applied to some of the
proposes three unique features that the
Bronstein said. assisted living social work positions. …
Binghamton program has adopted:
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
n it promotes school-community there is so much you can do other than
agency partnerships so the education
the new York academy of medicine’s just hospice with the elderly.”
is based on real-world experience.
social Work Leadership institute pro-
n it seeks to develop competencies in
vided this model of rotational field Jennifer marshall, director of field edu-
geriatric care.
placements, and the hartford Partner- cation for the msW program at Bing-
n it includes rotational field placements
ship Program for aging education hamton, noted that through the variety
in its practicum component that let
awarded Binghamton University’s so- of field placements, graduate students
students experience the system the
cial work program a $75,000 grant over observe firsthand the final stage of hu-
way elderly clients do.
three years. this money and matching man development.
56

Laura Bronstein
“they learn about the issues that she also saw that these volunteers
by the nuMbers
affect different types of elderly might provide much-needed transport
people,” marshall said, “and through for aVRe clients. the Broome county
assessments, determine the appropriate office for aging will have another
level of service from those social services msW intern explore how agencies
available in the community.” might expand their transportation
services.
heidi Bowne of Binghamton, who
received her msW in 2008, was placed Bronstein said this sort of insight is
in two Broome county social service exactly what can be gained when social
agencies: the council of churches’ work students have regular interaction
Faith in action Volunteers and the with elderly clients.
association for Vision Rehabilitation
and employment inc. “geriatric social work specialists,”
Bronstein said, “can connect older
Nearly one in five U.S.
“i felt privileged to hear what people adults to the community services that
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
residents is expected to be 65
said about their lives and the challenges will improve their quality of life and
and older by 2030, according
they faced as they aged and how they provide them with less expensive care.
to the U.S. Census Bureau.
accommodated them,” Bowne said. these geriatric social workers will be
at the forefront of practice, program This age group is projected
For the council of churches, Bowne development and policy change to to increase to 88.5 million in
assessed the needs and interests of support all of us and our caregivers as 2050, more than doubling the
individuals requesting assistance. this we age.” number in 2008.
allowed volunteer care providers to be
— Katherine Karlson
compatibly matched with clients.
57

fACUlTY ESSAY
a new dream
for 21st-century
science
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
It’s time to abandon the search
for a single principle to explain the world
An essay by Eric Dietrich
58

fACUlTY ESSAY
an old curse supposedly goes, “may you
live in interesting times.” Pretty obviously
this curse, or one of its close cousins, has
been hurled at us inhabitants of the 21st
century, for this century bids fair to be the
most interesting ever.
everything will change. the way we live then newton — who gave the search,
on this planet, including the way we in physics, a large and much-needed
house ourselves, eat, work, learn, get dose of steroids. after the individual
from one place to another, communicate sciences started to mature at their own
and use currency. the way we conceive pace, developing their own theories and
of ourselves and our place in the world, methodologies, the search for a unifying
including the ways we think of reli- theory became, and remains today, the
gion, morality, justice, our histories and search for unifying theories — each
cultures and the way we define what science searching for its own.
matters. With nearly seven billion of us
here at the beginning of the century, we in the 21st century, we will see this search
will be changing the way we think about move in two opposing directions. some
reproduction, and perhaps even the sciences will move closer to their dream
way it is accomplished. and all of these of a unifying theory; others will see
changes will be, and are being, reflected their dream dashed to bits. Why these
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
in our art and music. two directions should prevail is itself a
matter of great interest. to be specific,
one of the largest changes will come let us consider two sciences: biology and
to science. since at least the time of the cognitive science.
pre-socratic philosophers, thinkers and
researchers have dreamt of and searched Biology’s success at finding a unifying
for a single principle to explain the world. theory is one of the great success stories
this search for a grand, unifying theory in the history of science. the discovery
continued up through Descartes and of evolution and the creation of the
59

fACUlTY ESSAY
Eric Dietrich, professor of
theory of evolution was a remarkable philosophy. it is possible that by the end
philosophy, received his doctorate
accomplishment. to this day, however, of the century we will know the biological
from the University of Arizona
many don’t appreciate how powerful the and neuropsychological reasons that
theory of evolution is. this will change. humans are religious and why we parse in 1985. His areas of research
the world of human actions into right and teaching include cognitive
the way we humans define ourselves and wrong, good and bad, in the ways science and artificial intelligence,
is deeply tied up with our religions that we do. this possibility is sobering, metaphysics, epistemology and
and our moralities. as this century to say the least, but there could well be
philosophy of mind.
progresses, the theory of evolution will important benefits from such advances.
extend its reach to cover both of these.
evolutionary theory is now beginning the 21st century is likely to continue
to explain why humans are religious, to be a century tortured by terrorism of
why religions are structured the way various sorts. the sheer stress of popula-
that they are, and even why religions tion increase will be one major contribu-
have a supernatural component. tor to this. But much of the terrorism will
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
Visit
evolution is also being used to explain be, as it now is, based on deep religious
research.binghamton.edu/dietrich
our moralities — the implicit, internal and cultural differences. it’s a reasonable
rules of conduct that knit together our hope that we could place these differ- You’ll find links there
for further exploration
societies and are the foundation of ences in a better perspective once we
of this topic.
our cultures. Furthermore, evolution is know their biological and psychological
linking our embrace of religion and the origins. this might allow us to mitigate
way we conceive of our morality and the problem of terrorism, for often prog-
moral duties. allies in this bold advance ress toward solving a problem is made
include neuroscience, psychology and by knowing its cause.
60

fACUlTY ESSAY
Some sciences will move closer to their dream of a unifying theory;
others will see their dream dashed to bits.
if biology’s grand unifying theory has But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
such success, obviously we will all be Developing theories of memory, reason-
much better off. oddly, the same is ing, learning, perception, action and
true if some sciences’ dreams of finding emotion all look like they will require
unifying theories fail.the most important very different methodologies. these
science in this class is psychology, different methodologies, though per-
specifically, cognitive science. cognitive haps not lying in completely different
scientists have been looking for decades sciences, will definitely lie in quite dif-
for a unifying theory to explain the ferent subfields of cognitive science.
entire mind and brain. their search was
modeled on other, better established the situation is exacerbated by the fact
sciences, like physics (an irony, it turns that there is a paradox within biology’s
out, since physics is also in this class). and cognitive science’s futures. in so far
For example, one major contender in as we think of ourselves as organisms
this heated race for unification is the subject to the power of evolution, we
computational theory of mind. Large can explain some of our deepest beliefs
parts of thought and thinking can be and motivations — one unifying theory
explained as the software of a very has enormous power. in so far as we that often crisscross each other in ways
sophisticated computer (one we are think of ourselves as thinking things, we may never fully understand.
currently unable to even come close to we can only explain ourselves in a
building). the computer is the brain, piecemeal way — one unifying theory is all of this is going to play out on the 21st
and the mind is its working software. a pipe dream. But we are both a kind of century’s stage. and nowhere will this
While this theory has been enormously african ape, subject to evolution, as well drama be more important than at uni-
successful, it now appears as if the goal as cognizers best classified as unique in versities. the dream of one world, one
of using it for a grand unifying theory the animal kingdom. Paradoxes like this, theory is dead. even the dream of one
was wrong-headed. which are starting to crop up in other world, many theories is dying, for it is far
sciences, make it hard to understand from clear that there is “one world.”
Looking for a unifying theory of the what nature is trying to tell us.
mind and brain is now being compared our students need to be given a new
to looking for a unifying theory of the Furthermore, we can’t predict which dream. our students need to be given
entire amazon rainforest — a theory of all the sciences will wind up like the dream that humans, the world and
that explains all of its flora and fauna, cognitive science or like evolutionary the universe are far richer, far more
their interactions, how they all came biology. and just because a science wonderful than any single science can
to be, the rainforest’s weather and at one time is closing in on its dream handle, and indeed more wonderful
its geology. no such theory is in the of unification, doesn’t mean that the than all the sciences combined. science
cards: the rainforest is simply too dream will continue to unfold that way. is one of the greatest achievements of
complex. the same realization is as mentioned, physics, the Platonic humankind. But one of the things science
beginning to be accepted in cognitive ideal of a science, looks as if it is going reveals is the universe’s inexhaustible
science: the mind and the brain that to be forced to give up its dream of supply of surprises.
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
produces it are just too complex for a grand unifying theory. so, though
one theory to be able to explain all that the situation is puzzling, the message this new dream might be unsettling.
needs explaining. the gap between is clear. We humans live in a vastly But it is actually far more optimistic than
the dynamics of the cytoskeletons of complex universe, and this complexity the dream of unification. We need not
neurons and being able to pass a class in is mirrored in our own minds. the fear this new dream, for it will reveal
the history of the american novel is so furniture of the universe does not fit a universe of excellent beauty. and, as
large that completely different sciences into neat categories, fixed once and Francis Bacon taught us, “there is no
are going to be needed to explain the for all. Rather, it lies in categories that excellent beauty that hath not some
relevant phenomena. sometimes contradict each other, and strangeness in the proportion.”
61

IN BRIEf
evolutionarY studies goes national more homework maY not be the answer
Binghamton University’s Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program When it comes to math, piling on the
will serve as a model for a national consortium that will homework may not work for all stu-
link institutions ranging from major research universities to dents. That’s the finding of a study
community colleges in a partnership of programs. by daniel henderson, associate pro-
fessor of economics at Binghamton
“Evolution is usually taught
University, and colleagues at the Uni-
strictly as a biological subject,”
versity of Nevada.
said david Sloan Wilson,
professor of biological sciences The study, published in the
Daniel Henderson
and EvoS founder. “But it is Econometrics Journal, found that
equally relevant to human although assigning more homework tends to have a larger and
affairs, including areas as more significant impact on mathematics test scores for high- and
diverse as religion, economics low-achievers, it is less effective for average achievers.
David Sloan Wilson and literature. Current trends “We found that if a teacher has a high-achieving group of
in research and scholarship are not yet reflected in higher students, pushing them harder by giving them more homework
education. EvoS was created to correct this imbalance.” could be beneficial,” henderson said. “Similarly, if a teacher has a
The consortium will offer students a range of courses that low-ability class, assigning more homework may help since they
can be taken in parallel with their traditional majors. Taught may not have been pushed hard enough. But for the average-
as a set of unifying principles that cut across subject areas, achieving classes, who may have been given too much homework
course topics range from the composition of dNA to the in an attempt to equate them with the high-achieving classes,
nature of sexual attraction in humans and other species. educators could be better served by using other methods to
improve student achievement.”
A two-year, $300,000 National Science foundation grant will
support the consortium project. The study examined an area previously unexplored: the
connection between test scores and extra homework.
“In the future, evolution will be regarded as essential for
Researchers found that only about 40 percent of the students
understanding humanity in addition to life as a whole,”
surveyed would significantly benefit from an additional hour of
Wilson said. “The EvoS consortium will help accomplish the
homework each night.
transition sooner rather than later.”
sequels’ performance offers insight on film franchises
Although movie sequels don’t always do as well at the box office as the original, they tend to do much
better than non-sequels, according to a study by experts at Binghamton University and florida Atlantic
University. The study, which appeared in the Journal of Business Research, found sequels do not
match the box office revenues of the parent films. however, week by week, they do better than non-
sequels — more so, when they quickly follow the original.
“Indeed, we have found that some franchises are closely following this practice,” said Subimal
Chatterjee, marketing professor at Binghamton University. “for instance, New line Studios released
the lord of the Rings trilogy in almost clocklike precision: Fellowship of the Ring in december 2001;
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
The Two Towers in december 2002; and The Return of the King in december 2003. A shorter time
gap for releasing a sequel is better than a longer time gap given that the ‘buzz’ and anticipation is likely
Subimal Chatterjee to dissipate in consumers’ memory with a longer wait.”
The study offers movie studios key managerial insight. “Studios who count on sequels as less risky
ventures than non-sequels need to make sure that production budgets are carefully managed,”
Chatterjee said. “Sequels may not perform as well as the original ... so studios need to manage the
timing of the releases, the number of sequels and the gap in between releases.”
62

IN BRIEf
engineer seeks to understand corrosion
A Binghamton researcher hopes to shed light on why and how metals suffer corrosion, especially
when under various types of stress.
guangwen Zhou, an assistant professor in the department of mechanical Engineering, will use state-
of-the-art techniques involving transmission electron microscopy, or TEm, to observe the oxidation
process.
oxidation is the loss of electrons by a molecule, atom or ion. one common example is the rust that
results when a metal such as iron comes into contact with moist air.
Preventing rust and related damage is of vital interest to materials engineers as well as industry An
estimated 3 to 5 percent of the United States’ gross domestic product is spent on the repair of
corrosion-related damage.
Guangwen Zhou
The study, which will help in the search for substances that can protect the surface of metals, has
implications for a number of fields, including thin-film processing and fuel cells.
Zhou’s work is supported by a three-year, $250,000 National Science foundation grant as well as a
two-year, $50,000 grant from the American Chemical Society.
he will apply stress to samples of copper and use in situ TEm to observe what happens on the
nanoscale level when oxygen gas is introduced.
researcher probes virtual leadership
Surinder kahai is fascinated by virtual worlds and how businesses use them. he’s especially intrigued
by collaboration and leadership in Second life, a vast online three-dimensional world.
kahai, an associate professor in the School of management at Binghamton University, has compared
the use of instant messaging (Im) with Second life in experiments designed to see how such electronic
interactions help shape decision making.
many companies with international workforces use virtual worlds to conduct meetings and even
interview potential employees. But there’s relatively little data available about whether this practice is
effective. Surinder Kahai
“You need systematic studies,” kahai said. “Right now, companies — Intel, Cisco, IBm — are making
these decisions to use Second life and other virtual worlds. But is it worthwhile? Is it really adding value? That’s what we’re trying
to find out.”
kahai and his team expected users to experience more media richness and
social presence in Second life, which offers a visual environment complete
with sound and even gestures, than in Im. But several studies found that
wasn’t necessarily the case. The style of team leader, team orientation
exercises and users’ previous experience with the technology they are using
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
all play a role in whether virtual worlds enhance media richness and social
presence.
“When participants have no prior experience with Second life, they rate most
things, including group cohesion and media richness, which are important
A scene from Second Life for collaboration, lower in Second life,” kahai said. “on the other hand, with
modest experience there is a greater feeling of presence, that you’re with others, in Second life.”
kahai blogs about the topic at http://www.leadingvirtually.com.
63

IN BRIEf
folklorist focuses book explores russian poets’ lives
on children The fierce determination of several Russian poets who lived
and wrote in the early 20th century provided the inspiration for
A Binghamton faculty member wrote
a book by Binghamton faculty member donald loewen.
the first book in more than 10 years to
address American children’s folklore, lexington Books published The Most Dangerous Art: Poetry,
traditional knowledge shared by kids, Politics, and Autobiography after the Russian Revolution by
usually without adult involvement. loewen, an associate professor and chair of the department
of german and Russian Studies.
greenwood Press published Child-
ren’s Folklore: A Handbook by Elizabeth Reading an autobiographical fragment by poet osip
Tucker, an associate professor of mandelstam sparked loewen’s interest in the project,
English. which grew to include Boris Pasternak and marina Tsvetaeva.
“So much has “There was an incredible power in mandelstam’s prose that had a different quality
happened from what you see in his poetry,” loewen said. “What he was doing was telling the
in children’s story of the traumatic experiences he had for being a poet. It was the story of his life in
folklore since literature. What I most admired about it was his determination not to give in.”
1995,” Tucker
mandelstam, Pasternak and Tsvetaeva, he said, all turned to prose to defend
said. “The world
themselves as poets, poetry as a genre and the concept of the poet.
has changed
While their life stories are well known to those who appreciate Russian poetry,
so much. So
loewen may be the first to seek the common elements in their autobiographies and
many rules
offer a broader vantage point on the times in which they lived.
about protection
of children have changed. There are
patterns of children playing more in
sociologist examines Johannesburg
structured circumstances.”
martin J. murray believes cities in Africa and Asia are creating a new template for urban
A child learning how to play “ring around
development. The professor of sociology at Binghamton University is the author of
the rosie” from parents would be an
Taming the Disorderly City: The Spatial Landscape of Johannesburg after Apartheid,
example of “nursery lore,” but “folklore”
published by Cornell University Press.
occurs when a child learns a similar
murray conceived a series of three books on the city in the
game from peers with rhymes that do
mid-1990s after the end of South Africa’s formal system of
not come from adults. This still happens
racial segregation.
today.
“Even though everything was changing, with everyone in
As she started her new research, Tucker
the country having the right to vote and one of the most
wondered if technological advances,
progressive constitutions in the world, at the same time
such as video games, the Internet and
it was visible that little had changed,” he recalled. “The
more television, had affected the amount
enormous differentiation between rich and poor was still
of active children’s folklore.
there. Those who lived well continued their lives as if nothing
“I found that children’s folklore was
had changed.”
as lively as ever,” she said. “It’s just
Binghamton University / Binghamton ReseaRch / 2009
murray set out to explore questions of urban space and to understand why and how
morphed into different patterns.”
the affluent were able to insulate themselves from having to make any real sacrifice.
Tucker, the author of Campus Legends
Taming the Disorderly City focuses on the struggle between urban poor, urban planning
and Haunted Halls: Campus Ghost
and real estate capitalism.
Stories, is also the editor of Children’s
“Americans have a tendency to look at cities in Africa or Asia as lagging behind or
Folklore Review, an annual publication
lacking certain features,” he said. “I think it’s the opposite. The template for the future is
that is the only journal in the world
in Africa or Asia: an entrepreneurial or private city that has leapt beyond the U.S.”
devoted to the subject.
64

pg. 10
Merchants, moneylenders
and middlemen
New view of Jewish history offers
understanding of capitalism, anti-Semitism

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