Olivia DrakeMarch 22, 20101min
Rae Armantrout’s Versed, published by Wesleyan University Press, won the National Book Critics Circle Award in the poetry category. “The poetry award went to Rae Armantrout’s Versed (Wesleyan University Press) for its demonstration of superb intellect and technique, its melding of experimental poetics but down-to-earth subject matter to create poems you are compelled to return to, that get richer with each reading.”

Olivia DrakeMarch 22, 20102min
Smashing Magazine, a web design and development blog, ran an article March 19 on higher education web sites, focusing on homepage design. In part the text noted: "College and university websites have a lot of roles to fill. They need to provide information for prospective students (both new and transfer), parents of students and prospective students, current students, and alumni. In many cases, they’re also the gateway to the school’s intranet and the public face for both academics and athletics. They often need to include reams of information in a way that makes everything easy to find. It’s a huge…

Olivia DrakeMarch 22, 20101min
Scott Holmes, associate professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) on March 2. The three year grant, worth $599,832, will support his studies on “Epigenetic Silencing of Gene Expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.” Read more on Holmes's study here.

Olivia DrakeMarch 3, 20106min
Eight Wesleyan students will assist victims of the January 2010 Haiti earthquake by offering hands-on community-based disaster relief during their spring break. Between March 7-19, Elijah Meadow, Haley Baron '12, John Snyder '12, Ali Patrick '13, Barbaralynn Moseman '13, Michael Steves '13, Stefan Skripak '13 and Jacob Eichengreen '13 will be setting up camps for children and planting community food gardens in Port-Au-Prince. They will be assisting the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team-Haiti (AMURT). AMURT volunteers assist local residents, allowing them to grow and help their own communities. To date, the non-profit organization has distributed emergency food rations, tarps, tents…

Olivia DrakeMarch 3, 20102min
On Feb. 7, the nearly-completed Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown exploded during a natural-gas purging procedure. It was a tragedy for the community that shook the earth in Middletown and beyond. The explosion caused the death of six people and injured more than 12 others. Soon after the explosion was felt, Wesleyan’s administration offered to support rescue efforts in any way possible. Middletown officials quickly requested that Wesleyan activate its Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) and have them assist at the explosion site. Over the next few hours, C-CERT team members Cliff Ashton, director of Physical Plant; Stacy…

Olivia DrakeMarch 3, 20102min
Wesleyan celebrates its 11th annual DanceMasters Weekend March 6-7, an exciting event for choreographers, students, and dance enthusiasts alike. "The mission of DanceMasters is to introduce dance students to contemporary techniques with the hope that they gain an understanding of the breadth and depth of what is out there in the dance world," says Pamela Tatge, director of the Center for the Arts. "We are also providing regional dance teachers an important professional development opportunity through contact with world-class master teachers.” Dancemasters offers a unique combination of outstanding performances and master classes. This year’s showcase performance features the Taylor 2…

Olivia DrakeMarch 3, 20105min
Students applying for financial aid for Summer Session courses must have their course registrations and applications in by Friday, March 5. Classes begin June 7 and last five weeks. "With Wesleyan's Summer Session, students can experience the excitement and challenge of intensive, accelerated study, register for popular courses with lower student to faculty ratios, and discover interesting new upper-level courses," says Summer Session coordinator Sheryl Culotta, director of Continuing Studies and the Graduate Liberal Studies Program. "This also allows students to have more options during the school year, and more time to get involved in performances, sports, or other activities."…