February 14th Lunch & Learn

We've had to CANCEL the February 14th Lunch & Learn because of the impending snowstorm.  I'm hoping Chip will be able to reschedule for April, but he said that in early April he will be in the midst of a demanding period of work on the Half Moon, so he'll let me know later if that's possible.  If not this year, then I hope he can come next year.

Adrienne Birchler
Coordinator
Friends of the Folsom Library

 

Lunch & Learn for February 2014

“The Replica Ship Half Moon: 

Science, Commerce and Culture in 17th Century Exploration”

                    Presenter:  William T. (Chip) Reynolds

                                 Director, New Netherland Museum

                                   Captain, Replica Ship Half Moon

 

Photo credit:  New Netherland Museum/JW Mangrum

 

With imagery, maps, and replicated artifacts, Reynolds will discuss the interaction of science, commerce and culture in the 17th century.  Analogous to circumstances today, the Dutch East India Company relied on applying the most advanced scientific concepts to world exploration and establishment of their global commercial enterprises.  Inevitably, this brought about collaboration and conflict between diverse cultures.  In the Hudson River Valley, this led to the establishment of a colony unique in North America for its tolerance of differing religious and political views, and opportunity irrespective of background.

                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Captain Reynolds is an authority on historical navigation and world exploration under sail.  He combines practical experience using 17th century navigational tools with historical knowledge of their use and function aboard ship.  He is a proponent of the view that 17th century exploration and commerce advanced the transition from a religious based world view to our modern scientific or empirical world view.  He applies this approach to education under sail and in the classroom, where students measure and document the world around them and discover their ability to find patterns and predictability from this data.

 

Reynolds is an engaging public speaker and has lectured at venues as varied as the Library of Congress, the New York Court of Appeals, academic institutions, and educational conferences.  He has developed educational curricula using practices aboard ship to deliver scientific concepts to elementary through high school students and has written both for popular and academic publications.

 

In 2009, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands designated Reynolds as a Dutch Knight (Order of Orange), and in 2001 he was selected as a Gold Medalist of the Holland Society for his work with the Half Moon, a full-scale operating replica of the Dutch ship that Henry Hudson sailed in 1609.  This voyage led to the founding of New Netherland, the Dutch colony that encompassed parts of modern day New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

 

Reynolds has been featured in national television broadcasts with Bill Moyers and on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other national and regional media, and he has advised producers of feature films in the United States and abroad regarding historical sailing practices.

 

Reynolds is an Environmental Science graduate of New College of Florida, where he was a Noyes Environmental Fellow and published work on the biogeography of barrier islands in Southwest Florida.  He was a member of the State Planning Council for Radioactive Waste Management under President Jimmy Carter and served as Co-Chairman of the Transportation Working Group.  He resides in Selkirk, New York.

 

Friday, February 14

12:00 noon to 1:00 pm

Folsom Library Fischbach Room

 

Free!

Everyone is welcome!  

Bring your lunch or purchase one at the Library Cafe.

Dessert will be provided.

 

Adrienne Birchler

Coordinator

Friends of the Folsom Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch & Learn for November

 

"People of Courage, People of Hope, Seekers of Justice:  The Underground Railroad Revisited"



The Underground Railroad by Charles T. Webber (1893)

 

The voices of those involved in this historic Underground Railroad movement in our state and nation’s history relate a story not of tunnels and quilts, but a story of a civil rights movement, of African American leadership, of civil disobedience, that is relevant for us today. Revisit this significant story with researchers Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, co-founders of Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc. 

 

Friday, November 8, 2013 ~ 12noon to 1pm ~ Fischbach Room

Free!

Everyone is welcome!

Bring your lunch or purchase one in the Library Café. 

Dessert will be provided.

 

 

Adrienne Birchler

Coordinator

Friends of the Folsom Library



 

Rensselaer Libraries Given Most Generous Gift

George Mahe '42
(circa 1942)

The Rensselaer Libraries was recently bequeathed an astounding gift of 19.5 million dollars by alumnus George Mahe, who passed away in 2010.  Mr. Mahe received a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Institute in 1942.  Before retiring in the mid-1970s, he was a project engineer with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, NJ.

His niece, Elizabeth Wilson, and her husband, Kenneth, visited the library recently to tour it, visit the Archives, and have lunch with Rensselaer Libraries Director Bob Mayo, Vice President for Information Services and Technology and CIO (Chief Information Officer) John Kolb, and Advancement Officer Nina Moser. The Wilsons also dined with President Shirley Jackson at her home, where a plaque in Mr. Mahe’s honor was unveiled. It will eventually be placed in the Folsom Library. 

 

Presently there is a bronze plaque on the third floor of Folsom honoring Mr. Mahe's parents. It was mounted in recognition of the first monetary gift Mr. Mahe gave in their name. It is inscribed:

 

                                     TO FOSTER INQUIRY, LEARNING 

                                 AND EXCELLENCE AT RENSSELAER

 

Mr. Mahe's ultimate gift is a godsend and is making it possible for us to preserve our core collection.

 

Adrienne Birchler

Coordinator

Friends of the Folsom Library

 

 

Lunch & Learn for October

               "Going the Self-Publishing Route: 
                         One Woman's Journey"

                       Friday, October 11, 2013  ~  12noon to 1pm
                              Folsom Library's Fischbach Room

 

Janice Naylor, who works in Undergraduate Admissions, will be October's speaker.  She acknowledges that "even if you enjoy writing, finding the right words to express exactly what you want to say takes time and commitment.  It takes a brave heart to put your story out there for others to judge. It takes courage to assume all responsibility for the finished product. It takes money."

Naylor self-published her first novel, Sea Story, last March and admits "it was hard work.  It was also worth every bit of the time and energy I spent.  Why did I choose to self-publish?  What were the unexpected speed bumps in the self-publishing process? Was it difficult to bless the manuscript and pass it on to the printer?  Did I use an editor or a copy editor?  What costs are involved?  How did I promote Sea Story?  Has Sea Story been successful?"

For the answers to these questions and more, please join us Friday, October 11th at noon in Folsom Library for a "unique opportunity to journey through the self-publishing process from the first chapter to the … well, now that Sea Story is out in the world, there doesn’t appear to be an ending in sight."

Naylor was born and raised in Troy, NY.  Since she began writing professionally four years ago, her stories have been published in newspapers, on several websites and in an anthology of regional anecdotes.  She maintains a website and blog entitled, “Red Geraniums on a Summer Day” -- www.redgeranium.org .  Sea Story is her first novel, and it was published in March 2013 by Red Geranium Books, the author's publishing company.

 

 

Adrienne Birchler

Coordinator

Friends of the Folsom Library

Friends of the Folsom Library

    is pleased to host

“Exploring Space at RPI”

Friday, October 4, 2013

    9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

      Russell Sage Dining Hall Banquet Room
 

Celebrating Grand Marshall Week



Interior of the Clubhouse

Assistant Institute Archivist Jenifer Monger will be presenting on key spaces which have been utilized, advocated for, appropriated, and experienced throughout campus and its environs.  At Rensselaer, the academic, athletic, social, and common spaces used, and often created, by students and administration have come and gone, ebbing and flowing from one decade to the next.  Inspired by photographs and documents, Jenifer will explore the Old Gymnasium, the ’86 Field, the Clubhouse/Union, the Houston Fieldhouse, and Grand Marshal events from myriad vantage points.  Come see how the meanings of spaces have played major roles in campus life.



A continental breakfast will be served.  The event is free and everyone is welcome, but an RSVP to Adrienne Birchler (518-276-8329 or bircha@rpi.edu)  is required to reserve a seat. 

 

Adrienne Birchler

Coordinator

Friends of the Folsom Library 

 

Lunch & Learn for September

 

Come join us!

                             Friday, September 13, 2013
                                  12:00 noon to 1:00 pm

                       Folsom Library Fischbach Room

 

                                   Everyone is invited!

Bring your lunch or purchase one in the Library Café.

                              Dessert will be provided.

Adrienne Birchler
Coordinator
Friends of the Folsom Library