Olivia DrakeBIO BLITZING: Scientific specialists teamed up with area students and teachers for BioBlitz 2007, held in Middletown June 8-9. The idea was get a snapshot of the biodiversity of a specific area in a 24-hour period. Wesleyan was a major sponsor of the event. BioBlitz participant Brian Stewart, associate professor of physics, collects beetles during the BioBlitz. He and Michael Oliver, co-author of The Ground Beetles of Connecticut, found several beetles in the bark of a downed tree. Wilbert Snow School in Middletown served as the BioBlitz laboratory, where species were identified and recorded. Crabs, snakes, toads and turtles were…
Cathy-Lee Rizza, WesCard coordinator, creates and programs all student, faculty, staff and special-occasion identification cards for the university. Posted 06/20/07 Smile for the camera. Thats a phrase Cathy-Lee Rizza may say a dozen times a day in Wesleyans WesCard Office. As WesCard coordinator, she creates Wesleyans faculty, staff and student ID cards and manages the information provided by ID holders. This card gives students access to their dorms, provides them with meals on campus, it also serves as a library and gym card. If the student is part of the Middletown Cash Program, they can purchase meals off campus…
Valerie Marinelli, administrative assistant for the Environmental Studies Certificate Program, recently helped plan and coordinate the local BioBlitz science event in Middletown. Posted 06/20/07 Q: Valerie, when did you come to Wesleyan and what brought you here?A: I started as a temporary employee in August 2006 in the Environmental Studies Certificate Program. In late October 2006, I became the departments full time administrative assistant. Q: Broadly, what is the Environmental Studies Certificate Program, and who is able to receive this certificate?A: The Environmental Studies Certificate Program, known as ESCP, is an interdisciplinary certificate program for undergraduate students that includes…
Bob Shaeffner of Payette Architects explains a proposal for Wesleyan's new Molecular and Life Sciences building during an open house and design review June 12. At left, Ben Winslow, a biology Ph.D candidate, listens to Robert Schmidt, project manager, explain a proposed design plan for the Molecular and Life Sciences building. Posted 06/20/07 Physical Plant-Facilities held an open house and design review for Wesleyan's new Molecular and Life Sciences building June 12. The open house allowed Wesleyan staff and faculty, and members of the local community to comment on the proposed plans. The goal of the building is to…
Posted 06/20/07 Magdalena Teter, assistant professor of history, will study religious groups of premodern Poland as a Radcliffe Institute Fellow in 2007-08. Teter was one of 32 women and 19 men selected by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Teter will work individually and across disciplines on projects chosen for both quality and long-term impact. Her project is titled An Anatomy of Religious Violence: Jews and Christians in Premodern Poland. She will research the close social interaction between Jews and Christians; the role of lay and religious instigators in exploiting religious sentiments; position of the accused Jews…
Andrea Roberts, visiting instructor of chemistry, has introduced "green" techniques into her organic chemistry laboratory sections. Students use fewer chemicals, producing less waste. Posted 06/20/07 At first glance, Wesleyans Organic Chemistry Laboratory doesnt appear much different to the naked eye. But a closer look shows that virtually everything in the lab has changed. Were going green, says Andrea Roberts, visiting instructor of chemistry and Ph.D candidate. Were promoting sustainability and teaching the leaders of tomorrow better ways to do chemistry. Roberts started teaching the organic chemistry lab in Spring 2004, using a routine syllabus. The class had nine weeks of…
Patti Miller, assistant director of programs, grants and marketing for the Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS). Posted 06/04/07 Q: Patti, when did you start working at Wesleyan and what were you hired in as?A: I started in Fall 2000 and I was hired on a part-time/temporary basis to assist a wonderful woman who was diagnosed with a terminal illness to help her manage PIMMS workshop registrations and promotion.Q: You are the assistant director of programs, grants and marketing for the PIMMS. What is the overall purpose of the program?A: PIMMS mission is to provide high-quality…
Posted 06/04/07 About 30 years ago, unnatural and excessive biological growth started occurring in the small, man-made Beseck Lake six miles southeast of Wesleyan's campus. Septic systems from lakeside homes deposited nutrients into the water, altering the biogeological cycles of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus in the aquatic ecosystem. By 2002, the problem was remedied by connecting the homes to a city sewer system and the quality of the lake water improved. However, excess algae growth continued to form, proving that some unwanted nutrients continued to exist. What was still polluting the lake? asked Tim Ku, assistant professor of earth…
David Wagner, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut, talks to Wesleyan faculty and Wesleyan Hughes and Mellon Fellows about the 2007 BioBlitz, to be held in Middletown June 8-9. Posted 06/04/07 BioBlitz 2007 is coming to Middletown and Wesleyan faculty and students are playing key roles. For those unaware, BioBlitz is a 24-hour environmental diversity survey that was originated in the state by the University of Connecticut and several partners. During BioBlitz, scientific specialists are partnered up with grade school students and others for field surveys and other activities. The idea is to get…
Posted 06/04/07 Edward P. Jones, pictured at left, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, will be the keynote speaker at the 51st annual Wesleyan Writers Conference, held on campus June 17-22. The Writers Conference welcomes experienced writers, new writers and anyone interested in the writer's craft. One of the leading writers conferences in the nation, it has launched many writers publishing careers, notes Anne Greene, director. All of the programs are designed to offer you new perspectives on your work and the company of other writers who share your interests, Greene says. This summers…
Richard Slotkin, the Olin Professor of American Studies and English, was one of three faculty members to receive the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching by President Doug Bennet during Commencement Ceremonies May 27. Posted 06/04/07 Joyce Jacobsen, the Andrews Professor of Economics; Richard Slotkin, the Olin Professor of American Studies and English; and T. David Westmoreland, associate professor of chemistry were the 2007 recipients of the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. They received the prize during the 2007 Commencement ceremony May 27. The Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching was inaugurated in 1993 as an institutional recognition of…
Elena '93 and Trustee Robert L. Allbritton '92 have donated $5M to Wesleyan, to help build the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life. Posted 06/04/07 Trustee Robert L. Allbritton '92, his wife Elena '93 and family have pledged $5 million toward the renovation of Davenport Hall to house Wesleyan's new Center for the Study of Public Life and to challenge younger alumni classes to contribute to the Wesleyan Fund. The Center will be named for the Allbritton family. "Public life is changing, in part because new media have accelerated the exchange of ideas among leaders in government, business,…