Researchers at Einstein and Ferkauf Find “Personality Genes” May Help Account for Longevity
“It’s in their genes” is a common refrain from scientists when asked about factors that allow centenarians to reach age 100 and beyond. Up until now, research has focused on genetic variations that offer a physiological advantage such as high levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. But researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University have found that personality traits like being outgoing, optimistic, easygoing and enjoying laughter as well as staying engaged in activities may also be part of the longevity genes mix.
Cynthia Wachtell on New York State’s Flawed Public School Standardized Testing
Here is a modest proposal. Let’s have private school students take the same standardized tests that public school students now take each year.
Dr. Cynthia Wachtell is the director of the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at YU.
While we are at it, let’s require private school teachers to be absent from their students’ classrooms for the same number of days as public school teachers, who now must serve as conscripted graders for the standardized tests. Read the rest of this entry…
Ten Undergraduate Valedictorians Recognized for Their Academic Achievements by Respective Schools
More than 750 students from Yeshiva University’s undergraduate schools were presented with their degrees at YU’s 81st commencement exercises, held at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ on May 24. Ten received the distinction of valedictorian, an honor that reflects their exceptional academic achievement.
Valedictorians (L-R): Elana Sand, Chana Zuckier, Jennifer Lazaros, Yair Saperstein, Gregory Kupsin, Yehuda Safier, Anosh Moshe Zaghi, Avi Libman and Jesse Bernstein. Not pictured: Sultana Shoshani.
As the new graduates prepared to take their drive, creativity and dedication to a range of exciting careers and challenges, from medical school and finance to academic law and communal leadership, they recalled the close relationships with faculty, vibrant Jewish life and rich academic and extracurricular experiences that shaped their undergraduate years at Yeshiva. Read the rest of this entry…
Rabbi Benjamin Blech: You Don’t Need to be Religious to Appreciate the Dangers of the Internet
Mark Zuckerberg had quite a week.
The 28-year-old founder of Facebook officially became a multi-billionaire and one of the wealthiest people in the world the day his company went public. Then, in a short few days, he watched his net worth diminished by several billion dollars when his company made history as one of the greatest IPO flops.
Rabbi Benjamin Blech is Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University
While large IPOs on average trade up by 20% on their first day, Facebook’s flat performance on day one, and nearly 11% decline on day two, set the stage for further declines in what remains an unfinished story about a stock whose future remains highly uncertain to Wall Street and the investment community. In the wake of the unfolding scandal, investors are suing and the entire IPO process is being called into question.
But Zuckerberg still had one more momentous event scheduled for his IPO week. On that Saturday he got married to his longtime sweetheart. From a traditional Jewish perspective, the fact that it was an intermarriage, effectively insuring that the Zuckerberg Jewish lineage would now come to an end, was far more tragic than the fate of a failed stock offering. While there are no fears about the couple’s future financial security, no matter how much Facebook stock continues to underperform, it is fascinating to speculate on their marriage’s chances for long-term bliss based on hubby’s impact on contemporary society’s mores. Read the rest of this entry…
Ambassador Yehuda Avner Tells Graduates: “You Are the Vanguard of Our People”
“Can’t you feel the excitement and energy in here?” asked Miriam Goldstein, a newly minted graduate of Stern College for Women. “These have been the best four years of my life. I’m so glad to be here and part of this.”
“Here” was the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ, where Yeshiva University hosted its 81st annual Commencement ceremony on May 24. More than 750 undergraduate students received their degrees and heard a memorable keynote address from former Israeli diplomat Ambassador Yehuda Avner. Read the rest of this entry…
On Brink of Professional and Academic Careers, New Graduates Reflect on Undergraduate Experience
They are art historians, human capital consultants and biotechnologists. They come from Jerusalem, Montreal and Miami. They’ll be pursuing cutting-edge graduate work at first-class institutions like Harvard and New York University. They’ll build their own businesses from the ground up. And they’ll also be giving back by teaching at schools for children with special needs and developing innovative educational programs about world issues.
They’re the Yeshiva University Class of 2012.
On May 24, more than 750 students will march across the Izod Center stage at Yeshiva University’s 81st Commencement Exercises, as they celebrate the completion of their undergraduate careers. However, these new alumni know their education is far from over.
As they begin the next chapter of their lives, members of the graduating class reflected on the good times, the defining moments and the takeaways of their unique YU experiences. Read the rest of this entry…
YU Students and Alumni Recognized by Jewish Week’s ”36 Under 36″
Yeshiva University students and alumni continue to greatly impact the Jewish community. In its fifth annual “36 Under 36” section, The New York Jewish Week highlights 10 young YU students and alumni for their significant contributions as educators, thinkers, social justice activists and artists reinventing Jewish life:
Dr. Chip Edelsberg Implores New Azrieli Graduates to Strive for Authenticity
The buoyant mood and cheerful light that infused the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration’s annual commencement ceremonies served as perfect contrast to the grey and gloomy evening weather outside Belfer Hall on Monday, May 21. Fifty one master’s students, 11 accelerated students, 10 doctoral students, and two specialist certificate recipients received recognition in a packed hall where extra chairs had to be brought in at the last minute to accommodate an overflow crowd of excited family and friends.
For Judith Cahn, who earned her doctoral degree, at least two members of her family didn’t have to worry about finding a chair because they had spots in the section reserved for graduating students. Read the rest of this entry…
Students entering Yeshiva College in September will benefit from an exciting new curriculum that is six years in the making. Yeshiva College’s course offerings have changed and evolved over the years, of course, but this new educational program marks Yeshiva College’s first complete curriculum overhaul since 1928.
Naturally, incoming students have questions. Most of the students about to attend classes for the first time on the Wilf Campus in New York are currently studying in Israel or have recently returned from yeshivot there. They have received the following letter to answer their questions and allay possible concerns:
Dear Students,
This is an exciting time, as registration approaches and you begin to plan for the years you will be on our New York campus, building a solid springboard from which to launch your professional careers and life pursuits.
This new curriculum was designed especially for you, our students, with the sole purpose of giving you the best possible education to prepare you for success and entry into top career positions and graduate schools. Read the rest of this entry…
A rich mix of styles, techniques and technologies, Revelation includes digital photography, oil painting, stop-motion animation and stone sculpture, among other media. The wide-ranging subjects reflect the students’ intellectual and emotional curiosity, from Lauren Kahn’s striking sculptures of New York City manhole covers to Dina Wecker’s minutely detailed pen-and-ink aerial Manhattan skyline to Jordana Chernofsky’s pointillist nature paintings to Melissa Zehnwirth’s glam-inspired screen print. The show was guided by Traci Tullius, the acclaimed video and performance artist who leads Stern College’s studio art program. Read the rest of this entry…
