Olivia DrakeJanuary 28, 20062min
THE FINAL TOUCHES: The Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies new west wing addition will open at the end of January. Construction began in August 2005. Construction crews work on the new seminar room, which overlooks the Freeman Center's Japanese garden. The seminar room will be used for classes up to 25 students, East Asian Studies' events, dinners, conferences and its Colloquium Series, Japanese Tea Ceremonies and tai chi classes. Patrick Dowdey, curator of the Freeman Center, and Shirley Lawrence, program coordinator, take a closer look at the new seminar room. (Photos by Olivia Bartlett) Patrick Dowdey stands in…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20069min
Jen Carlstrom, Web Manager in the Office of University Communications, helps departments learn to update their own Web site information.   Posted 01/17/06 Jen Carlstrom grew up sketching Disney cartoon characters, molding clay figurines and designing Christmas cards on her father’s computers. As she matured, so did Carlstrom’s love for art and technology, which has ultimately led to a career as Wesleyan’s Web manager. "I’ve always loved drawing and using the computer to create arts projects,” she recalls. “Designing on the Web combines those two passions I've had since I was a child.” Carlstrom, who came to the Office of…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20063min
Posted 01/17/06 Thanks to more than $920,000 in private donations, including one from a notable alumnus, Wesleyan will install a new synthetic turf field in hopes of having it ready for play this spring. The field will be located on the grounds of the former Long Lane School and provide a competitive playing surface for Wesleyan’s varsity lacrosse and field hockey teams, as well as foul-weather practice space for other varsity sports including football and soccer. Baseball and softball teams will also use the field for pre-season practice in late February when Bacon Field House becomes overcrowded. The field will…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20066min
Steve Windsor, database administrator, suffers from repetitive strain injury and uses special ergonomic tools at work such as rubber-ball chair, a specially designed mouse, a headset and a touch-sensitive keyboard. Posted 01/17/06 Working on a computer all day can become a real pain in the neck (and the back and forearms and hands). Fortunately, a new ergonomics Web site created by Information Technology Services has several suggestions to keep bodies in balance. The site, http://www.wesleyan.edu/its/ergonomics/, offers advice on good working positions, stretches, workstation guidelines for health, an office ergonomics checklist and even the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s guidelines for…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20068min
Wesleyan head men’s basketball coach Gerry McDowell, center, hangs out near the hoops with varsity players Eric Winters '08, left, and Jim Shepherd '07. McDowell has coached the team for 10 years.   Posted 01/17/06 Q: When did you become the head men’s basketball coach at Wesleyan, Gerry?A: I began coaching here in 1996, so this my 10th year at Wesleyan. Q: I understand you entered the season with a 113-103 record. Is it true you had a streak of seven consecutive winning seasons?A: Yes, it is true. However, our performance in the next game and our growth as a…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20066min
Janine Lockhart, financial planner and analyst in the Office of Academic Affairs, finds the best options for meeting the demands of Wesleyan’s five-year financial plans.   Posted 01/17/06 Q: Janine, so you're the financial planner and analyst in the Office of Academic Affairs. A: Yes, although I usually am introduced as the budget person since that’s a more familiar concept for most people.Q: When did you come here?A: I came to Wesleyan and this position in July 2004. Several others held the position before me, including Sun Chyung, with whom I work closely in her current capacity as the budget…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20065min
Posted 01/17/06 An unprecedented 14-year study by Wesleyan University researchers has revealed a phenomenon that may indicate the forming of new planets or perhaps even the existence of young planets orbiting young sun-like stars more than 1,600 light years away. The observations were presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Washington, DC. on January 11 by William Herbst, the John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy and chair the astronomy department (pictured at right), Gabriel Roxby ‘06, a Wesleyan undergraduate involved in the study, and Eric Williams, the systems manager of the Van Vleck observatory. The Wesleyan team…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 20069min
The Memorial Chapel will host several Spirituality Week events between Jan. 27 - Feb. 2. Posted 01/17/06 The 10th annual Spirituality Week will take place Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 at various locations on campus. Spiritually Week is coordinated by the University Chaplains each year to emphasize weekly religious and spiritual programs on campus and to sponsor and recognize special events. "This is a good opportunity for people to understand the range of spiritually that happens on campus," says Rev. Gary Comstock, protestant chaplain. "The students will return to campus fresh and open to new ideas. We want them to…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 17, 200610min
College of Social Studies majors Angela Larkan ’06 and Lindsey Reynolds ’04 raise funds and awareness for orphaned pre-schoolers in South Africa through their non-profit organization, Thembanathi. Larkan's thesis at Wesleyan involved establishing a method of care for AIDS orphans using their school system. (Photos contributed by Maya Casagrande) Posted 01/17/06 Angela Larkan ’06 was raised in an apartheid South African town knowing that she could have been born into a poor family just down the road. With an estimated one in three South African children expected to be orphans by the year 2010 due to the AIDS virus, Larkan…