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Lauren RubensteinAugust 4, 20142min
Many of us have experienced an intense emotional and physical sensation while listening to a particularly moving piece of music--often described as a thrill, chill or goosebumps. In a new article published in Frontiers in Psychology, Psyche Loui, assistant professor of psychology, assistant professor of neuroscience and behavior, and psychology major Luke Harrison '14 integrate the existing multidisciplinary literature to create a comprehensive, testable model of "transcendent psychophysiological moments in music." The paper came out of Harrison's final paper in Loui's course on Music Perception and Cognition. They begin by considering the different nomenclature used in popular and academic discourse for this…

Kate CarlisleAugust 1, 20142min
From a journalist who launched a publishing start-up, to the multifaceted designer of the “Fremont Troll,” to a noted international lawyer, scores of Cardinals took time last year to share their “This Is Why” stories with Wesleyan. That loyalty – and the many gifts also shared by alumni, parents and friends – led to a stellar year in the university’s fundraising campaign. Generous donors gave a total of $44.3 million in gifts and pledges in fiscal 2014. The campaign raised $43.8 million in cash, more than any previous year. And $25 million went directly into the endowment. Currently, giving to…

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Lauren RubensteinJune 16, 20143min
Roy Kilgard, support astronomer and research assistant professor of astronomy, together with Trevor Dorn-Wallstein ’15 and Tyler Desjardin MA ’11, recently presented stunning new images of a spiral galaxy produced by combining data from more than 232 hours of observing time with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Similar to the Milky Way, the galaxy is officially known as Messier 51 (M51) or NGC 5194, but nicknamed “the Whirlpool Galaxy.” Located about 30 million light years from Earth, its face-on orientation to Earth offers a perspective astronomers can never get of our own galaxy. The image showing a vibrant purple swirl was…

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Lauren RubensteinMay 25, 20143min
Theodore Shaw '76, one of the nation's leading proponents for civil rights, delivered Wesleyan's 182nd Commencement Address on May 25. Watch the video, or read the full text below:   [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO4Ac-lehhA[/youtube]   "President Roth, Fellow Honorary Degree Recipients, Dr. Helena Chmura Kraemer and Hayden White, Members of the Board of Trustees, Faculty, Administrators, Staff, Members of the Wesleyan Community, Family, Friends and all who are gathered here, but above all else, to you, the Class of 2014. And if you give me a moment of forbearance, I have to go home and shout out to the Patrick-Shaw clan. Fifty years…

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Olivia DrakeMay 23, 20143min
On May 23-25 hundreds of Wesleyan alumni flocked to campus to celebrate Reunion & Commencement Weekend. In addition to class reunions, alumni attended WESeminars, academic department open houses, a parade of classes, campus tours, an all-college picnic and festival, and an all-campus party featuring mamarazzi and Illegalize. The weekend culminated with the 182nd Commencement Ceremony featuring commencement speaker Theodore Shaw ’76. View the full schedule online here. Classes ending in “4” and “9” celebrated their reunions. For psychology major Sheryl Sturges '79 and theater major Jonathan Duell '79 of Cornwall, N.Y., being together on campus is all too familiar. "I…

Kate CarlisleMay 19, 20142min
Fifty years after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave the baccalaureate address at Wesleyan, the university will welcome Ted Shaw ’76, one of the nation’s leading proponents for civil rights, as its 2014 Commencement speaker. Shaw has been named the Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law, and the Director of the University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights after having served as professor of professional practice at Columbia University School of Law. He served for 23 years with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, concluding as director-counsel and president. He received his law degree from Columbia and started…

Lauren RubensteinMay 19, 20143min
Two current state governors who proudly call Wes their alma mater will be back on campus during Reunion & Commencement Weekend, May 22-25. Both Gov. Peter Shumlin ‘79 of Vermont and Gov. John Hickenlooper ’74, MA ’80, Hon ’10 of Colorado will be celebrating their reunion years, and giving talks during the weekend. On May 24, Hickenlooper will give a WESeminar from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., titled “An Inside Look Into the Legalization of Marijuana.” He will address how the decision by voters to legalize small amounts of marijuana for adult use is affecting his state of Colorado, and potentially…