Olivia DrakeMarch 31, 20143min
On April 11, join several Wesleyan alumnae as they share insights and discuss strategies as women in today’s workplace – from the boardroom to the operating room. "Female Frontiers - Pushing Boundaries in the Workplace" is an opportunity for students to connect with alumnae in the career context to forge professional relationships and get tips for career success. All students, staff, faculty and alumni are welcome. The event is sponsored by Women of Wesleyan, a year-long programming initiative that features women, their accomplishments, and their influence on the Wesleyan community and the world at large. "Female Frontiers" begins with a featured talk…

Olivia DrakeMarch 31, 20144min
Two faculty, one student and one alumnus made paper presentations at the 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Tex., March 17-21. The Planetary Science Conference brings together international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology and astronomy to present the latest results of research in planetary science. The five-day conference included topical symposia and problem-oriented sessions. During the conference, Marty Gilmore, chair and associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, presented a paper on the "Venus Exploration Roadmap to the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG)" on March 20. James Greenwood, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, presented "Hydrogen Isotopes of…

Natalie Robichaud ’14March 31, 20142min
Throughout April, Wesleyan is hosting its second annual Earth Month. On April 12, Wesleyan is hosting a "Climate Justice Conference of Solutions" event. Participants will lay out the organizing, technological, and policy solutions to the climate crisis and explore how taking action on climate can improve social justice, create jobs, grow businesses, and enhance national security. Register for the event here. Other Earth Month events include a Sustainability Career Panel on April 8, Long Lane Farm grand workdays, WILDWes workdays, a Wesleyan Joulebug Competition, an Earth Week Rant with Professor of Physics Brian Stewart, a Mama Earth Fest, a film screening of Victoria Mamas…

Lauren RubensteinMarch 28, 20141min
This month, the Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its “AA” rating on debt issued by the Connecticut Health & Educational Facilities Authority for Wesleyan. It also declared that the outlook is stable for Wesleyan’s debt rating. Standard & Poor’s is a leading provider of independent credit risk research, publishing more than a million credit ratings on debt issued by sovereign, municipal, corporate and financial sector entities. The agency’s report, issued on March 21, cited Wesleyan’s “stable enrollment, continued solid operating surpluses, and adequate financial resources” as rationale for the “AA” rating. This is the second-highest rating given by the…

Olivia DrakeMarch 14, 20142min
Three student-led social ventures are the winners of the 2014 Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship Seed Grant Competition. Student representatives from each group will each receive $5,000 in unrestricted startup funds as well as trainings, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center. Recipients were selected from a strong pool of finalists who submitted written business plans and pitched to a panel of expert judges comprised of alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Applicants were assessed on their project design, leadership qualities and potential for social impact. ”We are thrilled to support the early development of these three breakthrough projects, led…

Olivia DrakeMarch 14, 20143min
When Rebecca Coven ’13 decided to dedicate herself to the arduous task of completing a senior honors thesis, she was concerned that no one would ever read her work beyond the few professors grading it. So she was excited to have the opportunity to conduct relevant, timely research on teacher evaluations in the state of Connecticut, and share her findings at a press conference held in Hartford March 6 by the state’s largest teachers union. Together with her advisor, Assistant Professor of Sociology Daniel Long, Coven spent her senior year conducting a review of a teacher evaluation pilot program run…

Bill HolderMarch 14, 20143min
  Wesleyan’s Homecoming/Family Weekend, which traditionally has been a combined event, will split to separate weekends next fall because homecoming is scheduled to occur during fall break. “We have two great weekends planned, one oriented toward Wesleyan families and the other intended to build on the success of Middletown Day last year,” said Barbara-Jan Wilson, vice president for university relations. “Each will offer our community lots of athletic contests plus plenty of opportunity for intellectual stimulation and fun.” During Family Weekend, scheduled for Sept. 26–28, Wesleyan will hold WESeminars, all-college meals, student performances, a Career Center open house, the 22nd annual…

Olivia DrakeMarch 14, 20145min
In the event of a public health emergency, Wesleyan's Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) may be deployed to help distribute medicine and medical supplies to the Wesleyan and Middletown community. On March 20, the C-CERT team, made up of Wesleyan faculty and staff, will undergo a day-long training program to prepare for such emergencies. The training, coordinated by the Connecticut Department of Health's Division of Public Health Preparedness and Response Strategic National Stockpile Program, will teach C-CERT members how to organize a Mass Dispensing Area and effectively receive, process, ship and recover stockpile medical assets. "If there's ever a…

Olivia DrakeMarch 14, 20143min
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is hosting the 2014 Hispanic Film Series March 27 to April 24 at the Center for Film Studies. "For the second year in a row, we’re showcasing recent award-winning films from Latin America and Spain," said María Ospina, assistant professor of romance languages and literatures. "Last year, we had hundreds of students attend the screenings, and we’re hoping that this year the event is equally successful." All films start at 8 p.m. in the Goldsmith Family Cinema. Screenings are free of charge and are open to the public. Films have English subtitles. March…

Lauren RubensteinMarch 10, 20143min
Gov. Dannel Malloy, Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew, and other state and local officials were on hand March 6 to help Wesleyan celebrate and power up its new microgrid project, the first project to come online under the inaugural round of Connecticut’s first-in-the-nation statewide microgrid pilot program. The group gathered in the lobby of the Freeman Athletic Center, near the site of Wesleyan’s 676 kW natural gas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) reciprocating engines. Using oversized shears, they cut a red ribbon, and Malloy used a computer to start the engines. The generator package will deliver 4,700 mWh annually. In the…

Kate CarlisleMarch 6, 20143min
A curious mix of dust and gas surrounding a distant star presents a unique mystery – and possibly a front-row seat to planet formation, according to Assistant Professor of Astronomy Meredith Hughes and colleagues, whose paper on the star appears in the March 6 edition of the journal Science. The group of astronomers, including Hughes and 13 others, were the first to identify the asymmetry and “lumpy” quality of the gas surrounding beta Pictoris, using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. The discovery leads to two possible explanations: There may be a giant "exoplanet"  lurking nearby…