Author: The Hudsonian Newspaper

The Hudsonian is the student newspaper of Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY.

HVCC Presidential Finalist Face the Campus

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Christian Rasmussen || Issue 15 || March 5, 2025

The week of February 24th to February 28th, 2025, students, staff, and faculty were all able to meet Hudson Valley Community College’s new presidential finalists. The finalists consisted of the following: -Michael S. Brophy, Ph.D., President, Hilbert College-J. Kyle Dalpe, Ph.D., President, Western Nevada College-Christopher M. Reber, Ph.D., President, Hudson County Community College-Irene Rios, Ph.D., Ammerman Campus CEO/Executive Dean, College-wide Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, Suffolk County Community College. Student Open Sessions were at 2 PM this week, where many members
of the student body were able to ask questions and get their opinions on the finalists. Many members of Student Senate, including president Austin Shulkin, and Vice President Ryan Connors, both members of the presidential search committee, were present to ask hard hitting questions that a college presidential candidate must be able to answer.

These candidates all gave solid answers on questions regarding student advocacy, campus engagement, AI in corporation, and other foundational aspects of a growing community college. After the controversial termination of Dr. Roger Ramsammy, HVCC’s previous president, the road ahead seems bright for Hudson Valley Community College, as all candidates show a strong drive and passion to make HVCC the best it can be. “Overall, a very strong candidate pool. It was an excellent time for the presidential search. With many other pools ending, we were able to have a very strong pool with an original number of over 70 candidates. There was good diversity both in age, gender, and race, and overall, the campus community is very pleased with the final four.” President of Student Senate and Presidential Search Committee Member Austin Shulkin had to say. All of these candidates have solid approval ratings from students, staff, and faculty alike. The goal by the search committee is to have a June inauguration of our next president. Keep an eye on the Campus chronicle for more information.

New Gene Linked to Emergence of Spoken Language

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Libby Star || Issue 15 || March 5, 2025

in understanding the genetic background of how humans developed spoken language abilities. The protein in question, NOVA1, is expressed in the central nervous system of humans and mice and has been studied since the 1990s. According to the study published in Nature, a single amino acid change in the protein is unique to modern humans. This human variant of NOVA1 was substituted into baby mice using CRISPR gene-editing to test the actual effects of the unique gene. To the researchers’ surprise, the baby mice with the human variant of NOVA1 squeaked differently to their mothers than their normal counterparts. When these mice reached adulthood, they continued to call out in an abnormal way when encountering a female in heat. While other genes have been linked to our modern speech abilities, such as FOXP2 (the “human language gene”), this NOVA1 variant is unique in that no other species has been discovered to possess it, not even Neanderthals (which did have FOXP2). The gene is not the only factor giving us the ability to speak and comprehend language–that requires both specific muscles in our mouth and throat, in addition to specific areas of the brain dedicated to speech. However, the study provided striking evidence affirming the NOVA1 variant’s important role in how Homosapiens became the dominant species on Earth today.

Suspect in Troy Bank Robbery Caught in 7 Minutes

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Zachary Suarez || Issue 15 || March 5, 2025

February 10th may be the record for the fastest anyone has been apprehended and in custody after a robbery. At 11:42 AM, M&T Bank reported the robbery to 911. The suspect, Dax Courtwright, 49 surprisingly didn’t draw a weapon or harm anyone on the scene. Instead, demanded money and left shortly after with a couple hundred dollars. By 11:49 officers caught him in a parking lot near the M&T bank. Courtwright was bought into custody without any incident. He has been emitted to Rensselaer County Jail. Courtwright was charged with third-degree robbery and second-degree grand larceny.

Luck Strikes at Local Hannaford: Big Win!

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Tyler Dinuzzo || Issue 15 || March 5, 2025

Every day, countless people try their luck and purchase lottery tickets all across the country. Whether they’re idly shopping or meeting up with a friend or whatever else, plenty of people just can’t resist a ticket, because of that obvious, age-old question: What if I win? Despite the chances being astronomically microscopic, lottery tickets are still sold, and every so often, once in a blue moon, the universe calls back to that question everyone asks-someone wins. Recently, that lucky someone was an
individual in everyone’s favorite good ol’ Saratoga County. Lottery tickets are sold in plenty of places all over New York, and this fortune slip happened to be in Ballston Lake. On Sunday, February 23rd, the New York Lottery announced that a ticket was sold for a third-prize winning $100,000 prize. That’s a one with five zeros. Talk about a jackpot! A Hannaford located right at 43 Round Lake Road in Ballston Lake was reportedly the location in which this ticket was sold, and likely a location that one lucky individual will remember more than anything else. We could talk endlessly about how incredible of a tale this is, but it is important to recall that these moments, while ceremonious, are incredibly rare. People may think of this moment because it’s the one moment where the gamble of a lottery ticket actually succeeded, but people will only remember stories like these because who would want to talk about the dizzying number of times people haven’t gotten that dream? The astronomical number of times people tested their luck, and it just wasn’t their day, will always be forgotten in favor of the deafening ceremony of the individuals who get really lucky. (Photo Credits: Newsbreak)

Hudsonian Takes on ProCon 2025!

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Adem Jones || Issue 15 || March 5, 2025

From February 25th to March 1st, a few of us from The Hudsonian: Adam Conklin (Editor-in-Chief), Izzie Holt (Copy Editor), Libby Star (Managing Editor), Jonah Flanagan (Photo Editor), and Adem Jones, took a trip down to New York City for ProCon 2025, hosted by the College Media Association, a conference and convention dedicated to students in mass media and communication. It was a whirlwind of learning, exploring, and a bit of chaos, but it was an experience none of us will be forgetting anytime soon. The conference itself was packed with incredible speakers covering a wide range of topics. We dove into discussions on reorganizing student publications to create more effective and aesthetically pleasing layouts, learned how to market and brand ourselves through website creation, and debated the practical and ethical implications of AI in journalism. There were also some heavier sessions, ones that tackled the increasing vilification of journalists and what it means to step into this ever-evolving, often challenging field. With over 700 students, professors, journalists, digital strategists, social media managers, and other media professionals in attendance from across the country, the sessions were insightful, eye-opening, and gave us a lot to think about as we continue to shape our own publication. But it wasn’t all work and no play. Exploring New York City was an experience in itself. Times Square’s sights and sounds, endless good food, and some hilarious moments within our group made the trip even more memorable. We had ourselves some conveyor belt sushi which was as cute as it was delicious, Izzie got her first tattoo, Adam spent a concerning
amount of time doing Trig homework, Libby somehow managed to break the Discord, Jonah was a menace, making Libby and Izzie think he was hiding in their room, and Adem conquered all five floors of Margaritaville. The entire trip was hosted by the one and only John Staerker, who made sure everything ran smoothly and that we were able to fully immerse ourselves in the conference without a hitch, so special thanks to John. But more than anything, this trip helped us grow. Not just as individual
journalists and students in mass media, but as a team. We’re back at Hudson Valley with a newfound sense of camaraderie, fresh perspectives, and a renewed drive to produce a paper that students can trust and be proud of. In the end, memories were made, lessons were learned, the spirit of Jimmy Buffett was alive and well (kinda), and we left NYC with a deeper appreciation for the field we’re stepping into. It was an unforgettable, life-changing trip, and we can’t wait to bring what we learned back to our paper.

Microsoft Majorana 1: Quantum Breakthrough

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Jonah Flanagan || Issue 15 || March 5, 2025

Microsoft has made a new leap in the technology world with the brand new Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum chip powered by a new Topological Core architecture. This architecture is designed to enable quantum computers to solve meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades. The chip leverages a new type of material called a top conductor, which can observe and control Majorana particles to produce more reliable and scalable qubits (the building blocks of quantum computers). This new architecture offers a clear path to fitting a million qubits on a single chip, which is a needed thresh old for quantum computers to deliver transformative, real-world solutions in fields like materials science, chemistry, and healthcare. “We took a step back and said ‘OK, let’s invent the transistor for the quantum age. What properties does it need to have?’” said Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow. “And that’s really how we got here – it’s the particular combination, the quality, and the important details in our new materials stack that have enabled a new kind of qubit and ultimately our entire architecture,” The key breakthroughs enabling this progress include developing a new materials stack to create stable Majorana particles, as well as a new measurement approach that allows the qubits to be digitally controlled rather than relying on fine-tuned analog control. This progress validates Microsoft’s choice years ago to pursue a topological qubit design, which was a high-risk, high reward scientific and engineering challenge that is now paying off.

Photo Credits: John Brecher for Microsoft

Sports Opinion: Is It Going to Be Duke’s Year?

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Sam Kipling || Issue 14 || February 25, 2025

Coach Jon Schueyer is now in his nineteenth season with the Duke Blue Devils. Preseason polls had been ranking Duke in the top 5 before this team ever stepped foot on the court. Expectations were high as they always seem to be for this program. Coach Scheyer hasn’t had this level of talent on his
team in years, as you can imagine the hype is real. Going into November with high hopes the team struggled out of the gate. With Duke losing a couple of games they were expected to win. The
team’s challenges certainly didn’t stem from a lack of talent but rather chemistry issues and inconsistency. As far as conference play goes Duke rose above the rest in the ACC, absolutely dominating inter-conference opponents and rivals. As the season was under way and the team had a month of play under their belt that’s when the team started to gel. Cooper Flag will get all the attention this season, deservingly so. But you have to mention Jalen Johnson. After not living up to the hype he had some sort of turnaround, his incredible defensive abilities have secured Duke countless victories. Veteran players like Kyle Filipowski are owed a tremendous amount of credit in coaching and counseling the young guys. Well, past midseason now the Blue Devils look unstoppable. Cooper Flag is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot of in the basketball world and for good reason. He is averaging 20 points a game at the most competitive level of the NCAA. His ability to change the momentum of games and make it look effortless is a huge reason why I believe Duke is the team that has the best chances going into March. I wouldn’t want to play Duke in March and that feeling is shared by every team in college basketball. Duke hasn’t looked this good in a decade including their 2015 championship team. Anything can happen in March Madness, but it looks like it could finally be Duke’s year.

Sports News: Canada Triumphs Over USA in Four – Nations Finale

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Sam Kipling || Issue 14 || February 25, 2025

The four-nations faceoff came to an end Thursday, February 20th as Canada defeated the United States in the championship game. The game had hockey fans on the edge of their seats with end-to end action. In an absolutely thrilling championship match, Canada came out on top 3-2 scoring their final goal in overtime at TD Garden Arena in Boston. Both teams had several chances to put the game away in the final period but fell short. The Edmonton Oilers’ very own Connor McDavid scored the dagger in overtime to bring it home to Canada. The theatrical end to the championship was reminiscent of the way the 2010 Olympics ended. Another matchup with USA and Canada playing on the world stage and Canada once again scored an overtime goal to best the USA. The round-robin tournament was a huge success being the first international hockey event that included NHL players
since 2016. The championship match drew in 5 and a half million viewers at its peak making this
one of the most watched hockey matches of all time. The NHL was able to come to an agreement this year to allow their players to participate in the one-off four-nations tournament despite issues in the past with the Olympic committee. The tournament was received well and drew in millions of viewers. It was a heartbreaking loss for Team USA but an incredible effort to make it to the championship match and a huge step forward for international hockey.

Sports News Predictions: NHL – USA Dominates 2025: Four Nations Face-Off

The Hudsonian Newspaper

Yusef Natt || Issue 14 || February 25, 2025

The USA has been dominant in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, securing a top spot in the standings as they head toward the championship game. This international tournament, featuring the best talent from the NHL, has been a thrilling return to top-tier global competition, with the U.S. proving itself as a serious contender for the title. For New York Rangers fans, this tournament has been particularly exciting. Several Blueshirts are representing Team USA, including Vincent Trocheck, who has played a key leadership role. While Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs has officially been named captain of the international tournament team, rumors have swirled about Tro check potentially stepping into a bigger leadership role for the Rangers. Trocheck’s presence has been crucial, bringing grit and experience to a team filled with high-flying offensive stars like Jack Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk. His performance could help him take on a more significant leadership role when he returns to New York. The Rangers have had a tough season, battling injuries and inconsistent performances. Despite a strong start, key players have struggled to stay healthy, and the team has had difficulty maintaining momentum in the Eastern Conference. This tournament gives Rangers players a chance
to reset and find their best form before returning to the NHL grind. For the players, winning the 4 Nations Face-Off would be a career highlight, especially given how rare, best-on-best international tournaments have been in recent years. The last major event of this caliber was the 2016 World Cup of
Hockey, where many current stars had yet to establish themselves. For Rangers fans, this championship push is an opportunity to see their favorite players shine on the international stage.
If Team USA continues its dominance and lifts the trophy, it could inject momentum and confidence into the Rangers’ locker room as they gear up for the playoff push back in the NHL. With the final approaching, all eyes are on Team USA and their Rangers representatives. Can they finish the
job and bring home the title? Fans won’t have to wait long to find out.