Olivia Drake"We can never really claim to have seen anything unless it has been photographed." — Émile Zola, c. 1901, Minutes of the Camera Club of Paris Documentary photographers, contemporary visual artists and historians grapple with issues of photographic meaning, evidence, and interpretation. This fall, Wesleyan has hosted a series of exhibitions, talks and films that explore photography's role in historiography, historical memory and public life. Organized by Associate Professor of History Jennifer Tucker, "Eye of History: The Camera as Witness" serves as a meeting point for people who share a common interest in photography, art and historical memory. On Nov.…
Astronomers interested in black holes generally study small, low-mass types within our own galaxy, or super-massive black holes found in the center of other large galaxies. But during the 18th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium Nov. 7-8 at Wesleyan. astronomy major Hannah Sugarman '09 explained the importance of finding intermediate mass black holes in the local universe. "Small black holes are about 30 times the mass of the sun, and the big, super-massive black holes have a mass of about a million times the mass of the sun. Intermediate mass black holes are in between these mass limits," Sugarman says. "They…
Arion Blas ’11 learned about debt, derivatives, equity, money policy, banking and business management during Wesleyan's first-ever Management and Leadership Conference Oct. 24-28. Blas and 29 other Wesleyan students learned about management from experts and executives from top companies, organizations and institutions, while participating in skill-building through lectures, hands-on workshops, case studies, and one-on-one mentoring with top Wesleyan alumni and parents from a variety of career fields. (more…)
Eli Allen ’09 will join youth leaders from across the country to represent the United States at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 14th Conference of Parties. The event will be held Dec. 23 in Poznan, Poland. "My generation will ultimately be responsible for the effects of the decisions made at the negotiations, so it is imperative that we be involved and have representation," says Allen, a College of Social Studies major. "I hope to express the urgency of this moment in our history, where we must realize our common responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of…
If you had one minute to speak with newly-elected President Barack Obama, what would you say? Wesleyan undergraduate, graduate and Graduate Liberal Studies Program students are invited to video-record a response to this question with a chance to win a $100 cash prize. As part of Wesleyan's "Minute with the President-Elect" challenge, students can create and upload a video to Wesleyan's YouTube site. Site viewers can log in, view the videos and rate their favorite entry. (more…)
David PesciA paper co-authored by Ellen Thomas, research professor of earth and enviornmental sciences, titled "Trends, rhythms, and aberrations in global climate 65 Ma to present," published in Science, 292, in 2001, has been identified by Thomson Reuters Scientific's Essential Science Indicators as one of the most highly cited papers in field of geosciences, and has been designated as a "Current Classic" for October 2008. For more information go to: http://sciencewatch.com/dr/cc/08-octcc/'Article.
The Wesleyan community is invited to go "Backstage at Information Technology Services" during an open house Nov. 12. Self-guided and guided tours for faculty, staff and students will be ongoing from 1 to 4 p.m. Raffle prizes will be awarded. Also, during this time, ITS will host three "acts." "ITS is hosting an open house to provide an opportunity for the community to visit our staff members in their environments, to learn about what they do, and in some cases to put a face with a person to whom they have either spoken on the phone or emailed," says Ganesan "Ravi"…
Come Home!" was the theme of Wesleyan's Homecoming/Family Weekend (HCFW) Oct. 17-19. "I chose Come Home! as the theme for this event because I believe that Wesleyan is a family that grows stronger by engagement at regular gatherings such as Homecoming/Family Weekend," says Wesleyan President Michael Roth. "Many things in our lives change year to year, but we can always come back to Wesleyan and feel we belong." The event featured 21 WESeminars, several athletic events, campus tours, an all-college dinner, (more…)
Corrina KerrFailure to adapt in certain military maneuvers or assignments can lead to fatal errors. To help prevent grievous mistakes, the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense has asked psychologists to study adaptability. Assistant Professor of Psychology Steven Stemler was awarded a $60,000 subcontract via the University of Central Florida to study the concept and develop tools to measure adaptability. (more…)
It's a dog-gone good month for Laurenellen McCann ’09. After spending her entire summer working for an independent television production company, the government major's work was finally broadcast Oct. 11 on the network, Animal Planet. As one of three associate producers for the new series Dogs 101, McCann was at the front line of creative thought for each episode. She was responsible for researching the information to be disseminated in every episode, including details about the dog breeds featured and the best stories to make them stand out. (more…)
Sonia BasSheva Mañjon, vice president for diversity and strategic partnerships, will investigate two partnerships between higher education institutions and urban communities during a conference at Trinity College Oct. 23. The day-long event, titled “Cultural Identity through the Arts in Urban Communities,” will pursue how academic institutions can develop new and innovative collaborative projects with diverse communities in urban settings. (more…)
Celebrated fiction writer and poet Michael Ondaatje, winner of the British Commonwealth’s highest literary award, the Booker Prize, is this year's Joan Jakobson Visiting Writer. Ondaatje will read from his prose at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 in Memorial Chapel. The event is free of charge and open to the public. "Michael Ondaatje's works are haunting, seductive stories and his prose is stunning," says Anne Greene, director of writing programs. "This is a rare chance to hear Ondaatje's own voice." Born in Sri Lanka of Indian/Dutch ancestry, Ondaatje went to school in England and then moved to Canada. Among his best-known…