Bookbeat
Recent publications from CLAS faculty
Nonlinear Dynamics in Astronomy & Physics: In Memory of Henry Kandrup
Edited by Stephen T. Gottesman, J.R. Buchler, and M.E. Mahon, The New York Academy of Sciences, 2005
Over the years, UF Astronomy Professor Henry Kandrup helped organize many of the workshops on nonlinear astronomy held by the Departments of Astronomy and Physics. When Kandrup died unexpectedly in 2003, the departments decided to honor the professor and his achievements with a workshop in his memory, followed by a book. “We wanted more than just the workshop, we wanted a published record,” says astronomy professor Stephen Gottesman, co-editor of the workshop proceedings titled Nonlinear Dynamics in Astronomy & Physics.
Any researcher studying galactic structure, whether graduate student or established scholar, would find this book of interest, says Gottesman. “There are very noteworthy papers in here.” The papers come from an interdisciplinary mix of applied mathematics, astrophysics, galactic dynamics, plasma physics, and cosmology. The application of accelerator beams to the study of galactic halos and how they evolve was the project on which Kandrup was engaged when he died. One of his dreams was the creation of a strong theory program inside the astronomy department and the development of interdisciplinary projects, especially with the physics department.
“The ideal is still there,” says Gottesman. “We’ve hired the first of what we expect will be a powerful group in theoretical astrophysics.” New faculty has added to the interests of the department, which include stellar evolution, quasars, and extra-solar planetary searches, as well as part ownership of a telescope in Spain. Gottesman’s own work also is galactic; a radio astronomer who studies emissions from atomic hydrogen, his work is part of an evolving discussion about the total mass of galaxies and the amount of dark matter in the universe.
Kandrup, a professor at UF since 1990, received a UF Teaching Improvement Program Award in recognition of his teaching abilities in 1994. “Henry was a very gifted teacher, and the students were deeply shocked by his death,” says Gottesman. “Anyone interested in Henry and his work can get a sense of his achievements through these papers.”
Black Lenses, Black Voices: African American Film Now
Mark Reid (English), Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Black Lenses, Black Voices is a provocative look at films directed
and written—and sometimes produced—by African Americans, as
well as black-oriented films whose directors or screenwriters are not
black. Mark Reid shows how certain films dramatize the contemporary African
American community as a politically and economically diverse group, vastly
different from film representations of the 1960s. Tracing the development
of African American independent filmmaking before and after World War
II, he illustrates the unique nature of African American family, action,
horror, female-centered, and independent films, including Eve’s
Bayou, Jungle Fever, Shaft, Souls of Sin,
Bones, Waiting to Exhale, Monster’s Ball,
Sankofa.
Elites
y desplazados en el Valle del Cauca
Álvaro Félix Bolaños (Sociology), UCEVA
This book is a reading of historical and literary texts about Spanish conquests in relations with the crisis of displaced people in Modern Columbia. By considering Sebastian de Benalzcazar’s conquest of the Cauca river valley as a first wave of displacement of people from their lands, this essay intends to show a similar pattern of representation of Spanish conquest in historical and literary texts written during the 16th century and today. The premise is that his kind of representation naturalizes displacement as an essential step in the formation of the modern nation.
Situated
Fathering: A Focus on Physical and Social Spaces
Edited by William Marsiglio (Sociology), Kevin Roy and Greer Litton Fox, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Situated Fathering proposes a new framework for studying how various contingencies of physical space, in conjunction with social/symbolic issues, affect men’s identities as fathers and their involvement with children. Consistent with public interest in men’s efforts to “be there” as providers and caregivers, this book explores issues associated with the barriers and supports to involvement that are part of the physical and social environment. Written largely for family scholars and students, it emphasizes a future-oriented perspective by outlining directions for theoretically guided research in specific, often gendered fathering sites.