Wesleyan Welcomes 64 Graduate Students

Graduate Student Services welcomed 64 graduate students to Wesleyan on Aug. 26. Of the students, 19 are part of Wesleyan's BA/MA program; 12 are MA students; 20 are Ph.D. candidates; eight are Foreign Language Teaching Assistants; three are Wesleyan Writing Fellows and one is an exchange student from Germany. Twelve are studying music and ethnomusicology; 37 are pursing degrees in science and mathematics; three are studying psychology and 12 are non-degree seeking students. Of the 64 graduate students, 43 are from the United States. The other 21 are from France, Ghana, India, Greece, Spain, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Singapore, United Kingdom,…

Two graduate students and two faculty attended the 248th national meeting of the American Chemical Society Aug. 10-14 in San Francisco, Calif. Chemistry graduate students Duminda Ranasinghe delivered a poster presentation on her research titled "Efficient extrapolation to the (T)/CBS limit" and an oral presentation on "Density functional for core-valence correlation energy." Chemistry graduate student Kyle Throssell presented two poster presentations on "Potential curves of selected radical thiol double additions to alkynes" and "Assessing weak interactions in small dimer systems with PM7." The students were accompanied by George Petersson, the Fisk Professor of Natural Science, professor of chemistry; and Michael…

Mathematics Ph.D. candidate Alicia Marino recently attended a four-day workshop in Portland, Ore. studying various aspects of computational number theory. The workshop focused on Sage, a mathematics software package, developed by and for the mathematical community. The event included talks, tutorials, and time spent in small project groups developing Sage code. Participants worked to enhance the Sage library and discussed ways to increase the number of women in Sage development. The workshop ran July 28-Aug. 1. Marino, who holds a bachelor's degree in computer science, attended the conference to sharpen her programming skills. "My initial desire to attend the workshop…

A figure created by Katherine Kaus, graduate student in the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department, was selected to run as the featured cover graphic in the Sept. 9 Journal of Molecular Biology. The graphic is related to her article, titled "Glycan Specificity of the Vibrio vulnificus Hemolysin Lectin Outlines Evolutionary History of Membrane Targeting by a Toxin Family," which was published in the journal on July 29. It is co-authored by Rich Olson, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and researchers at the University of Connecticut. The abstract appears online here. Vibrio vulnificus is an emerging human pathogen that causes severe food poisoning…

Long Lane Farm is Wesleyan’s student run organic farm devoted to allowing students a place to experiment and learn about sustainable agriculture. This summer, seven students are tending the two-acre farm full-time. New to this year's farm are Rhode Island red hens, who reside in the farm's chicken coop. The coop was designed and built by Wesleyan's Architecture II class in 2013. Throughout the summer, other students and community members help out around the farm with planting, watering and weeding. Food harvested from the farm is sold at the North End Farmers’ Market throughout the summer, and at the Wesleyan…

Wesleyan’s Posse Foundation Veteran Scholars attended an academic immersion and campus visit July 10-11. The 10 scholars are funded by The Posse Foundation, which supports students with a four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarship.

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Following the principles of permaculture, the student group WILD Wes (Working for Intelligent Landscape Design at Wesleyan) has transformed the West College Courtyard — once an eroded hillside with compacted soil and diseased trees — into complex ecosystems that provide food, attract insects and requires minimal resources and maintenance. The students also are working on a terraced garden near Summerfields. Follow the group's progress on their blog. Pictured are summer blooms, berries, bees and other bugs thriving in the garden on July 8. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)

In March, the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship awarded three student-led social ventures with a Seed Grant. Student representatives from each group received $5,000 in unrestricted startup funds as well as trainings, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center. This summer, the students are putting their grants to good use. (more…)

As a recent recipient of an undergraduate research fellowship, Jack Singer '15 is spending his summer at Wesleyan studying the geochemical evolution of the moon. The fellowship, supported by the Connecticut Space Grant College Consortium, comes with a $5,000 award. Grantees are expected to work on research related to space/aerospace science or engineering under the guidance of a faculty member or a mentor from industry. For the next three months, Singer will work on various research projects with his advisor James Greenwood, assistant professor of earth and environmental science. Singer will first prepare a fragmented lunar sample (Apollo 12035,76) for…

In the fall of 2008, Andrew Olivieri felt like he was staring down four years of uncertainty, dissatisfaction and "wasting my parents' money." A senior at the Bronx High School of Science, where most graduates are expected to attend college, Olivieri just didn’t feel ready. But the Army life had always attracted him, as a path that led to maturity, a work ethic, and an opportunity to be part of something larger than himself. "I wanted to be a part of history, and contribute to it," Olivieri said. "I never wanted to be one of those people who just say,…

The almost-century-old 20-inch Van Vleck Refractor, which lives on Foss Hill in its iconic dome, is undergoing a major renovation. Work began June 2. The rare historic telescope will be dismantled, cleaned, repaired, reassembled and modernized over a period of about 15 months in preparation of the observatory centennial in 2016. The refractor has been deteriorating gradually since its retirement from research around 1993. Antique Telescope Society members and Ray Museum Studios founders Fred Orthlieb, Ph.D. and Chris Ray are leading the renovation. Astronomy major Julian Dann '17 and German Studies major Rebecca Hanschell '16 are assisting with the project this summer. Read…

Wesleyan Welcomes 64 Graduate Students

Graduate Students, Faculty Attend American Chemical Society Meeting

Ph.D. Candidate Marino Attends Workshop on Computational Number Theory

Grad Student’s Graphic to Appear on Journal’s Cover

Long Lane Farm Welcomes Chickens, New Farmers

Veterans Join Class of 2018, Tour Campus

Students’ Graphic Design on Display in Usdan

Summer Blooms, Berries, Bees in West College Courtyard

Patricelli Seed Grant Winners Share Project Progress

Singer ’15 to Study Moon Rocks as Connecticut Space Grant Fellow

Army Veteran Olivieri to Join Class of 2018 through Posse Foundation

Renovations Begin on Astronomy’s Van Vleck Refractor Telescope