Olivia DrakeWith a boost from National Endowment for the Arts, Angel Gil-Ordóñez's Washington DC-based orchestra will continue making music for seasons to come. Gil-Ordóñez, music director of the Wesleyan Orchestra, adjunct professor of music, director of private lessons, chamber music and ensembles, learned that his Post-Classical Ensemble received a $50,000 grant from The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The award is made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. "We are still jumping for joy," Gil-Ordóñez says. "It is such an honor, and reassurance that the NEA and the Recovery Act consider that our work must be…
Jelle Zeilinga de Boer, the Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science emeritus, is the author of Stories in Stone: How Geology Influenced Connecticut History and Culture published by Wesleyan University Press in July 2009. In the 228-paged book, geoscientist Zeilinga de Boer describes how early settlers discovered and exploited Connecticut’s natural resources. Their successes as well as failures form the very basis of the state’s history: Chatham’s gold played a role in the acquisition of its Charter, and Middletown’s lead helped the colony gain its freedom during the Revolution. Fertile soils in the Central Valley fueled the state’s development…
Tsampikos Kottos, assistant professor of physics; Moritz Hiller, a former visiting scientist; and Katrina Smith-Mannshott BA '08, MA '09 are the co-authors of the article, "Occupation Statistics of a BEC for a Driven Landau-Zener Crossing," published in Physical Review Letters, Issue 102, in 2009.
Next fall, Wesleyan will welcome two students of color who graduated high school "capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership." Malik Ben-Salahuddin '13 and Dorisol Inoa '13 are both recent alumni of A Better Chance (ABC), the oldest national organization of its kind. ABC aims to change the life trajectory in a positive way for academically-talented youth of color through access to rigorous and prestigious educational opportunities for students in grades 6-12. "This is wonderful recognition for these two top students, two in a long line of ABC students at Wesleyan," says Nancy Meislahn, dean of admission and financial…
An essay titled "Romance Crushed" by Marie Mencher ’12, a prospective Spanish major, was published in the July 20 edition of The New York Times. "He left, I ran up to my room and put the Indigo Girls’ 'Mystery' on repeat for the next half-hour, and sobbed. I made awful, croaking, animal noises and screamed into my pillow, but running through my mind were these beautiful simple thoughts like, 'We were so close.' An extended excerpt of the essay is online here.
Cara Madden ’11, a Wesleyan swimmer, won four gold medals and set two records at the Bay State Summer Games, organized by the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation. The Bay State Games provide quality Olympic-style athletic competitions and developmental programs for Massachusetts amateur athletes of all ages and abilities. Madden not only won each event she appeared in, but also broke two records in the Women’s 19-34 Division, representing the Northeast team. Both of the records Madden broke were two-year-old records. In the 100-meter backstroke, she cut four seconds off the previous mark, finishing at 1:12.41. Madden also broke the record…
Q: Charles, your title is Director of Strategic Initiatives and you work in the President's Office. When did you begin? A: I retired from the Getty in Los Angeles last fall and began here on Dec. 1, 2008. Q: This is a new, temporary position. What is the objective of your role and with whom do you work? A: Where other members of Cabinet are responsible for particular parts of the university, I work mostly with President Roth and senior staff on issues and initiatives that involve the institution broadly. Q: Can you say a bit about these issues and…
Steven Horst, professor of philosophy, received a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on July 9. The award, worth $55,000, will be applied over five years for his research on "Cognitive Psychology of Religion: Philosophical Implications." Horst's areas of expertise are philosophy of mind, cognitive science, philosophy of psychology and moral psychology.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter named Katherine Gajewski '02 as the new director of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability. According to a July 18 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mayor Nutter interviewed several candidates as he searched for someone with political savvy and operational experience who was also a team player. Ultimately, the mayor said, "we found that person and she was just across the hall." Gajewski was a current staff member in the office. As an aide to the chief of staff, Gajewski oversaw two citywide "spring cleanups" and advised Nutter on appointments to city boards and commissions. Before joining…