Olivia DrakeMay 19, 20092min
Award-winning writers Amy Bloom, Andre Aciman, Katha Pollitt, Peter Cole and Roxana Robinson will join more than 20 writers, editors and agents at the 53rd annual Wesleyan Writers Conference, June 14-19 on campus. The conference offers advice for writers at every stage of their careers, featuring classes, workshops, manuscript advice, guest speakers, readings, publishing advice and talks with editors and agents. It welcomes new writers, experienced writers, and everyone interested in the writer’s craft. "Attending the conference gave me incredible confidence,” says past participant Dr. Mara Berkley, psychologist from Providence, R.I. who came to the conference to work on her…

Olivia DrakeMay 19, 20093min
Norm Daniels, who coached five sports in almost 40 years at Wesleyan, died May 11 at the age of 102. He coached baseball, football, basketball, wrestling and squash. Daniels, born March 25, 1907 in Detroit, Mich., came to Wesleyan as an instructor in physical education in 1934 and retired in 1973. He spent 33 years coaching baseball, and 19 years coaching football, which included a 25-game winning streak from 1945-1948. The Hillsdale, Mich. native graduated in 1932 from the University of Michigan, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He also earned a master's degree at Michigan in 1941. Among…

Olivia DrakeMay 19, 20091min
The Connecticut League For Nursing Board has requested Wesleyan students enrolled in the class, "Making the Science Documentary," show and display samples of their films during the board's annual convention June 4 in Portland, Conn. The science and film hybrid class, designated a Service Learning Course, was designed to introduce students to topics in the life sciences and the basics of documentary filmmaking, in order to teach students the skills and art of communicating science-related issues through visual media. The class was co-taught by Manju Hingorani, associate professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and Jacob Bricca, adjunct assistant professor of…

Olivia DrakeMay 19, 20091min
Jules Verne's The Kip Brothers, published in English by Wesleyan University Press in 2007, was mentioned in a May 11 Huffington Post article titled "Jules Verne's Kip Brothers Translated into English after 100 Years." The Wesleyan University Press book features original black and white illustrations. The article says: "The book, a crime drama, celebrates the fraternal bonds of brotherhood, written shortly after the death of Verne's brother and best friend, a French sailor. The bond between the two heroes is so close it raised the question in this writer's mind whether gay relationships could have been written about openly in…

Olivia DrakeApril 29, 20096min
Dante, Bolognese poetry, Leonardo and Quattrocento were among the topics addressed at the Art and History in Renaissance Italy Symposium May 1-2 on campus. The event was held in honor of John Paoletti, Kenan Professor of the Humanities, professor of art history, who is retiring in May. Paoletti is an internationally-prominent scholar in art history with much of his work focused on the Italian Renaissance. "This symposium is a unique one that honors John's 37 years of service to Wesleyan, and his foundational role in developing the university's program in Art History," says Joseph Siry, professor of art history. "The…

Olivia DrakeApril 29, 20097min
Anthropology and Science in Society major Kate Ottaviano ’09 has already immersed herself in several cultures. As a daughter of international educators, she attended school in Italy and Japan, built a concrete house in a Filipino slum, delivered school supplies to impoverished children in Romania, and taught English to imprisoned women in Peru. Ottaviano will continue her cultural immersion in 2009-10 as a Fulbright scholar, teaching English language in the European country of Macedonia. Administered by the Institute for International Education, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards full research grants to graduating seniors and young alumni after an extensive application…

Olivia DrakeApril 29, 20093min
More than 500 students and their families celebrated all-things Wesleyan during the annual WesFest April 16-18 on campus. WesFest allows all admitted students an opportunity to explore what Wesleyan has to offer. Attendees took campus tours, visited campus housing, attended classes, explored science laboratories, samples campus dining, visited with current Wesleyan students, viewed art, film and music performances, and much more. "WesFest benefits students by giving them the opportunity to engage with the Wesleyan community," says Stephanie Pruitt, program and events coordinator for the Office of Admission. "For many students, their time on campus helps them decide if Wesleyan will…

Olivia DrakeApril 29, 20097min
From the day Carl T. West ’11 arrived on Wesleyan's campus, he wanted to study the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Although reluctant at first, Tsampikos Kottos, assistant professor of physics, welcomed the eager frosh to his "Complex Quantum Dynamics and Mesoscopic Phenomena" research group. "To be honest, Carl was a kind of an experiment, for me," Kottos says. "I usually take sophomores and above at my group, but Carl was so confident on what he wanted, so I decided to involve a freshman in our research. It was a good and decision." In the past two years, West wrote an article…

Olivia DrakeApril 29, 20097min
Baltimore native Esther McCready grew up in segregated, discriminatory world and was denied admission to the University of Maryland School of Nursing. At that time, the school did not admit "Negros." With help from NAACP civil rights leaders like Thurgood Marshall, she sued for admission to the university, and in April 1950, McCready won her right to attend classes. In the spring semester course "Making the Science Documentary," molecular biology and biochemistry major Christopher Doucette '11 had the opportunity to interview and film McCready about being the first African American woman to attend Maryland's School of Nursing. He also interviewed…