Mixed paper, glass, metal, plastic, corrugated cardboard, batteries, printer cartridges and even old furniture can now be collected and recycled.

“Recycling is required by law in Connecticut, and is the obligation of every member of the Wesleyan community,” says Bill Nelligan, the Wesleyan recycling coordinator and associate director of Environmental Health and Safety. “We hope that the Wesleyan community will join this effort to make Wesleyan a leader in waste reduction and environmental responsibility.”

Nelligan says recycling saves resources, energy, reduces pollution, cuts generation of greenhouse gases and reduces disposal costs.

Members of the University Recycling Committee worked for a year on the project, ordering new recycle bins, labels, creating brochures and designing a Wesleyan Recycles Web site, http://www.wesleyan.edu/recycling. The site provides answers to frequently asked questions, a guide to reducing and reusing items, recycling tips and links to the National Recycling Coalition and the City of Middletown’s recycling information. A detailed list of what can and cannot be recycled at Wesleyan is posted on this site.

Committee members are currently distributing recycling containers at departments and residences campus-wide. Custodians will be responsible for removing recycling materials from the hallways and trash rooms and place them in the appropriate outdoor container.

Nelligan test-trialed the new recycle bins in Physical Plant. He placed the bins under staff people’s desks.

“It took 30 days for one office person to fill a trash two-thirds of the way full. Everything else he would haven thrown away was recyclable,” Nelligan says. “Recycling is definitely working at Physical Plant, and we’re hoping it can work campus-wide.”

Ninety-five-gallon recycling bins have been scattered in 30 locations around campus.

Major recycling categories are mixed paper, glass/metal/plastic and corrugated cardboard.

Paper products that can be recycled include white/colored paper, envelopes, manila folders, carbonless office forms, newspapers, magazines, hardback/paperback books, junk mail and corrugated cardboard.

Glass/metal/plastic items that can be recycled include plastic containers, glass jars, bottles, beverage cans, milk and juice boxes, aluminum food containers and clean aluminum foil are recyclable.

Paper, cardboard and glass/metal/plastic bins are available at locations around campus.

Styrofoam, batteries, florescent bulbs, computers and electronic equipment, printer cartridges, motor oil, scrap metal and even old dorm furniture and mattresses also can be recycled. For more information on where to drop these items off at, visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/recycling/where-category.html.

That year, they attended an Alumni and Parent Volunteer Weekend. They not only became informed, they became involved.

“We were so impressed that weekend with how cordially we were welcomed and made to feel a part of the Wesleyan community, that we decided to become parent volunteers,” Michael Haley says. “Our son is our one and only and it has always been our pleasure to participate in his activities.”

The Haleys will return to campus Sept. 23-24 to attend another Alumni and Parent Volunteer Weekend. They are among more than 100 registered for the informational event.

“Alumni and Parent Volunteer Weekend is designed to better inform both new and experienced volunteers about all the exciting things that are happening here, and give us a chance to thank our volunteers for the time and talents they give to Wesleyan,” says Gemma Ebstein, director of Alumni and Parent Relations.

During the course of the weekend, volunteers have the option of attending Wesleyan Annual Fund (WAF) and other Alumni Association meetings, as well as special programs with Wesleyan President Doug Bennet, Vice President for University Relations Barbara Jan Wilson and Board of Trustees chairman Jim Dresser ’63. Jack Mitchell ’61, CEO and chairman of Mitchells of Westport, Conn. and Richards of Greenwich, Conn. and author of Hug Your Customers, The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results, is this year’s keynote speaker.

Two special classes, “Parent Volunteering 101” and “Electronic Tools and Resources for Alumni and Parent Volunteers” will be offered. In addition, attendees will receive a tour of the new Fauver Residence Halls.

Since attending the first volunteer weekend, the Haleys have twice assisted at WESeminars; volunteered for Spring and Fall calling; spoke at two WestFest Parent-To-Parent Seminars; volunteered at a swimming championship, and twice volunteered to assist with moving-in day. This year they will become members of the WESeminar Committee and the Executive Committee of the Parents’ Council.

“Since my son so much enjoys being on campus with his friends, he only comes home for school holidays, so being on campus gives us an excuse to occasionally have lunch or dinner with him,” Karen Haley says. “More importantly, we also get to meet other parents whose students are facing the same experiences and challenges as John and have the opportunity to exchange practical information and ideas with them.”

The Wesleyan Annual Fund National Committee, WESeminar Committee, Parents Council Executive Committee, Nominating Subcommittee, Alumni Association Executive Committee, and several 2006 Reunion Committees will hold meeting during the weekend.

Wesleyan has approximately 3,401 active volunteers and always welcomes more.

Makaela Kingsley ’98, associate director of Alumni Relations, urges guests who have never volunteered to attend this event. She guarantees they’ll leave with a volunteer assignment.

“Some volunteers help with a single event or project a year, while others chair a club or committee and give their time to Wesleyan every week,” Kingsley says. “But each and every one of them is important. They are the nuts and bolts behind planning events, raising funds and building Wesleyan’s reputation.”

The weekend is free of charge and financial assistance is available to help with travel and accommodations for those who need it. Volunteers are welcome to bring guests, spouses and children.

Shuttles will be available to transport guests between campus and the Inn at Middletown, where several of the sessions will take place, throughout the weekend.

Wes-HAUL started five years ago as a small University Relations initiative and has evolved into a cross-university effort. More than 35 volunteers, including Wesleyan staff members, five spouses and kids of staff members, Diversity Peer Educators, and members of the football team, participated this year. All volunteers received a Wes-HAUL t-shirt, breakfast and lunch.

“This year, everyone worked so hard and was genuinely welcoming despite the hot and humid day,” says Makaela Kingsley ’98, associate director of Alumni Relations and secretary of the Alumni Association. “I love being part of the team and I look forward to continuing this tradition in the years to come.”

Wes-HAUL volunteer Ian Renner ’08 manned Clark Hall, where lived during his freshman year. By 10:30 a.m. he had already moved in two mattress covers and two car loads worth of student belongings.

“I’m enjoying meeting and welcoming the freshmen,” he says, during a break. “It’s good to see the new people moving in the hall.”

Daniel and Louise Walunis of Cleveland, Ohio appreciated the Wes-HAUL help when moving their daughter, Valerie ’09 into her residence.

“Before I could even park the car and return, they had moved everything in,” Daniel Walunis says. “The helpers made the transition very smooth. It was well managed.”

Christine Colfer, administrative assistant for Regional Programs and Networks volunteered for Wes-HAUL, a “once a year opportunity” to meet new students and parents. Her husband, Daniel Colfer, a Public Safety officer, and their daughter Haynie, 12, were also on hand to help.

“Being a staff member, I don’t get to get out much and see the kids and the dorms,” Christine Colfer says from the Fauver Field Residences. “And they give you lunch and a t-shirt. What could be better?”

Kiersten Haynie liked what she saw, too.

“I want to come to Wesleyan someday,” Haynie says. “It seems like a good place to go to school.”

After 10 weeks of intense research, 49 Hughes Fellows presented their projects. Hughes Fellows are supported by the Hughes Program in the Life Sciences, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The fellows worked one-on-one with Wesleyan faculty advisors.

Students presented a wide array of projects. Matthew Donne ‘07 presented his work on “Hedgehog Signaling and Blood Vessel Development.” Owen Kiely ’06 presented research on “Uncovering the Timetable for Functional Incorporation of New Neurons in the Adult Brain.” And Alexandra Ogrodnik ’06 presented her research titled “Gypsy Moths, Invaders vs. Local Caterpillars.”

For the students presenting, the program gave them a variety of research opportunities that would’ve been difficult to replicate during the school year.

“What I liked about this most was that it gave me a lot of field experience that I otherwise would never have had,” says Daniel Silva ’07. “It really showed us how different the field could be from laboratory conditions.”

Silva and Ulyana Sorokopoud ’08, both Hughes Fellows, presented the poster “”Metapopulation Analyses of Freshwater Fishes and Macrovertebrates: Ecosystem Assessment of the Matabesset and Eight Mile River Water Sheds.”

“Doing this work in the field was really eye-opening,” says Sorokopoud. “For example, we took multiple times samples over a month. During that period we could see a number of changes that took place in the habitat, some subtle, some not so subtle. But they were nothing we would’ve seen under lab conditions.”

For Hughes Fellow Jenna Gopilan ’07, who presented “The Effects of Serotonin on Adult Neurogenesis in the Dentale Gyrus of DNA Pkcs Mice,” the experience was all about lab conditions, which was a good thing.

“I was able to devote entire days in the lab and perform more experiments, which helped me generate a lot more useful data,” she says. “I could have never fit that much work in with my class schedule during the semester. Getting a chance to devote full days and weeks to my work in the lab was perfect.”

The poster session was accompanied with laboratory tours and a colloquium. Martha Gilmore, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences. Gilmore spoke on “Mars: Wetter than Ever.”

Michael Weir, professor of biology and chair of the Biology Department is the director of the Hughes Program in the Life Sciences. Laurel Appel, visiting associate professor of biology and senior research associate is the program coordinator.

Students applying for the 2006 Hughes Program must do so by March 3, 2006. The grant budget allows for 18 stipends, but with generous contributions from participating departments and faculty, as well as Financial Aid funds, the program can accept between 40 and 50 students each year. Students are responsible for their own housing.

These findings by co-investigators Michael Singer, assistant professor of biology, and Elizabeth Bernays, regents professor emerita of entomology at the University of Arizona, appear in the July 27 issue of Nature.

During a study of the caterpillars of two types of tiger moths, known as Grammia geneura and Estigmene acrea, Singer and Bernays observed that when the caterpillars were besieged by potentially deadly parasites, they underwent a chemical change that affected their taste sensing cells. The result: the infected caterpillars suddenly acquired a taste for plants that contained compounds – iridoid glycosides and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. When plants containing these compounds are ingested by the caterpillars the parasites die, often before they could inflict mortal harm on the caterpillars from within.

Singer and Bernays noted that the taste for these medicinal components was heightened in the infected caterpillars while remaining unchanged in uninfected caterpillars.

“In essence, contracting the parasites actually triggers a chemical reaction inside the caterpillars that makes them more disposed to eating the very plants that may help them get rid of these deadly organisms,” Singer says. “The parasites are actually setting in motion a process that may lead to their own demise, provided the caterpillars can get to the right type of plants in time.”

This will be among the issues considered by a new digital image study spearheaded by Wesleyan University and the Center for Educational Technology.

The six-month study will examine how digitized images of all sorts are used by faculty at 34 elite teaching and research institutions. The hope is that by assessing current practices in the classrooms, methods for more effective use of these images can be identified and implemented.

“There is also an opportunity to build a community among these institutions which could lay the groundwork for future collaborations,” says Michael Roy, Wesleyan’s director of Academic Computing Services and the study’s principal investigator. “We are always interested in new and better ways we can use technology to improve teaching and academic inquiry.”

Along with Wesleyan, the institutions participating will include Allegheny, Amherst, Bard, Barnard, Bates, Bennington, Bowdoin, Bryn Mawr, Colby, Colgate, Connecticut, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Hamilton, Haverford, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Princeton, Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore, Smith, St. Lawrence, Swarthmore, Trinity, Ursinus, Vassar, Wellesley, Wheaton, Williams and Yale.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has awarded Wesleyan the CASE-Wealth ID Award for Educational Fund Raising: Overall Performance. Wesleyan competed in the Private Liberal Arts Institutions category.

Wesleyan shared this distinction with eight other institutions, including Wellesley College and Williams College.

“Wesleyan is already ranked highly for academic excellence, but now it demonstrates exemplary support of private education through its fund-raising performance,” says Mark Bailey, director of development communications.

CASE, a nonprofit education association, supports educational institutions by enhancing the effectiveness of the alumni relations, communications and fund-raising professionals who serve it. In 2002, Wealth ID, a provider of wealth screening services and fund-raising solutions, joined CASE as a sponsor of the Educational Fund Raising Awards.

Barbara-Jan Wilson, vice president for University Relations, says Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees, President Doug Bennet, the alumni and parent volunteers, and the University Relations staff are vital members of Wesleyan’s fund-raising effort.

“This development team represents a rare convergence of talent, skills, dedication, and energy,” Wilson says. “Like the Yankees in 1927 and 1998, you have to see them perform to fully appreciate how important they are to the institution.”

This year, of the 970 eligible institutions, 274 college and universities were considered meritorious, and 46 were recognized for the CASE-Wealth ID Awards for Educational Fund Raising in 18 categories.

The awards program recognizes Overall Performance and Overall Improvement in educational fund raising based on data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education’s “Voluntary Support of Education” survey.

Judges analyzed three years of data in their review of institutions. They selected the winners based on a multitude of factors: the pattern of growth in total support; evaluation of what contributed to the total support figure; overall breadth in program areas; pattern of growth in each program area; pattern of donor growth among alumni donors and other individual donors; impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support; total support in relation to the alumni base; and the type of institution.

Wilson says that the CASE Award also recognizes Wesleyan’s overall fund-raising performance and its record-setting $281 million Wesleyan Campaign. The funds will support financial aid, faculty, facilities and programs.

“What is best about the CASE Award, I think, is the fact that this honor was awarded not for what Wesleyan received, but for what so many alumni, staff, and friends gave,” Wilson says. “The more we give, the more we receive. That’s the Wesleyan experience.”

The judges also look for indications of a mature, well-maintained program.

“Wesleyan’s fund-raising program has innovated and improved over several years,” Bailey says. “Today’s fund-raising program at Wesleyan is focused, client service oriented, and competes with the best programs in America and abroad. The CASE Award confirms Wesleyan’s growing leadership in this area.”

Delegates from Wesleyan will receive the award during the CASE Annual Assembly July 16 in Miami Beach, Fla.

The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, led by MacArthur Fellow Liz Lerman, has been creating dance works that are metaphorical and powerfully visceral about the issues of the time.

The Wesleyan-Dance Exchange partnership has resulted in Wesleyan serving as a lead commissioner of “Ferocious Beauty: Genome”, which will premiere at the CFA on February 3, 2006, before touring major performing arts centers across the country.

The partnership has also resulted in the most comprehensive residency ever undertaken by a dance company at Wesleyan or in Middletown, with Dance Exchange members working throughout the fall semester with both science and dance students as well as community members at the Green Street Arts Center.

The following Dance Exchange events are scheduled:

It is customary for international teams to do time-zone acclimation training, according to Brad Flood, head women’s swimming coach at the University of Bridgeport. Flood has been working with the Polish National team for more than a dozen years and recruited a number of their talented performers for both the University of Iowa and Central Connecticut State University.

“Athletes usually need one day of training for each hour of time-zone difference and there is a six hour time difference between here and Poland,” Flood says.

In addition to eight two-hour practice sessions in Wesleyan University’s Natatorium the Polish squad practiced at the Cheshire YMCA outdoor facilities, since the World Championships in Montreal will be held outdoors.

While 2004 Olympic gold medalist Jedrzejczak, currently ranked first in the world in the 200 butterfly by FINA, is the headliner of the Polish squad, a number of other swimmers are among the world’s elite in their events. This includes Pawel Korzeniowski who is ranked among the top 10 men in the world in both the 200-meter butterfly (third) and the 400-meter freestyle (10th).