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Olivia DrakeMarch 19, 20152min
Restorative justice practices, such as victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, programs for juvenile offenders, and community policing, emerged to give victims and their surrounding communities greater agency than traditional criminal procedure provides to resolve conflict and address its consequences. As a 2015-16 Watson Fellow, Isabella Banks '15 will travel to countries where restorative justice has had success, acting as a participant-observer in these practices. Banks will interview individuals involved and evaluate the capacity of restorative alternatives to heal those affected by crime and reduce recidivism within each cultural context. "In doing so, I hope to come closer to envisioning a…

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Olivia DrakeMarch 10, 20152min
#THISISWHY In this News @ Wesleyan story, we speak with Brent Packer from the Class of 2015.  Q: Brent, where are you from and what are you majoring in? A: I was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Growing up nearby Amish farms and having tortoises, dogs and a semi-domesticated duck scampering around my house piqued my environmental interests. At Wesleyan, I’m a member of the College of the Environment with a double major in economics and environmental studies. Q: You are the founder of Potlux, an online community where collegiate sustainability initiatives are aggregated and shared. What is the…

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Olivia DrakeMarch 9, 20151min
Mateusz “Matt” Burgunder ’15 recently competed in the 2015 Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Verbier, Switzerland where the U.S. National Ski Mountaineering Team finished in 10th place overall. This was Burgunder's fourth time competing for the U.S., participating in three events. Competitors race by climbing up and skiing down mountains at a rate of approximately 3,000 feet per hour. The 2015 Ski Mountaineering World Championships, hosted by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, were held Feb. 6–12. More information about the U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association and the 2015 World Championships can be found online. See photos of Burgunder's events below: (more…)

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Lauren RubensteinMarch 6, 20152min
Writing in Tikkun Magazine, government major Rachel Unger '15 offers a first-hand account of Israeli-Palestinian relations she witnessed during her two trips to the region, and how these experiences shaped her views of a "two-state solution" to the ongoing conflict. Unger describes watching "religious Jews marching through the Muslim quarter of the Old City celebrating the 'reunification' of Jerusalem while the authorities blocked Palestinians from the streets with barricades and prevented an old man from taking the bus to his home. I witnessed police knocking a Palestinian man to the ground while hordes of young Yeshiva boys cheered and sang 'Am Yisrael Chai!'" She…

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Olivia DrakeFebruary 17, 20152min
In this Q&A we speak with Katie McLaughlin from the Class of 2015. (Story and photos by Hannah Norman '16) Q: Katie, what are you majoring in? A: I'm majoring in French and environmental studies with the certificate in international relations. For my capstone project in the environmental studies major, I am researching the academic justifications of contemplative pedagogy and developing a curriculum which integrates it and movement-based learning into elementary school, high school and adult education. The goals of the curriculum are to explore the environment through physical inquiry and embodiment, reevaluate the ways we perceive ourselves as a part of, or…

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Brian KattenJanuary 23, 20152min
He loves “chick-flicks” and played alto-sax in high school. But he also wants to earn a spot in the Special Forces after graduation. In short, the Cardinals' No. 80 in football has many layers. They all start and end with respect, and comfort in being himself, on and off the field. He’s no prima donna, even though he has only played one position since he was 9 — wide receiver. Being a distraction to the team is not in his DNA. “I’ve never been that way,” said Jay Fabien '15. “I love all aspects of being a wide receiver.” (more…)

Olivia DrakeJanuary 20, 20151min
Rex Bernstein ’15 died peacefully in his sleep Jan. 10 while visiting family in the San Francisco Bay area. He was pursuing a government major at Wesleyan with a minor in history. He was a former member of the Wesleyan swim team and a member of Beta Theta Pi. Bernstein, 22, was "a large person with a large personality, and he will be missed by many here on campus," wrote Dean Mike Whaley, vice president for student affairs. Bernstein is survived by his parents and younger sister, Olive, and his dog, Gato. View Bernstein's guestbook online here. A memorial service is being…

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Olivia DrakeJanuary 20, 20152min
A paper co-authored by molecular biology and biochemistry major Holly Everett '15 is published in the December 2014 issue of Nature Communications. The article, titled "High-throughput detection of miRNAs and gene-specific mRNA at the single-cell level by flow cytometry," describes a novel approach to visualizing RNA and protein simultaneously at the single cell level. Everett has been working on the accompanying research at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. This new technology uses gene-specific probes and a signal amplification system based on a “branched DNA” principle. The authors show that this novel flow-FISH (for “Fluorescent in situ hybridization”) technique is…

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Olivia DrakeDecember 1, 20144min
#THISISWHY In this Q&A meet Colin Russell from the Class of 2015. Q: Colin, what are you majoring in? What have been your most instrumental courses so far? A: I am majoring in neuroscience and behavior while also on the pre-medical path. Two of the most instrumental courses in my journey through Wes have been Organic Chemistry and the Organic Chemistry Lab that is paired with the lecture course. The reputation of Organic Chemistry was extremely intimidating prior to taking the course, and I was nervous that I would not like this subject that is the basis for so much of the…

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Olivia DrakeOctober 6, 20143min
Q: Angela, where are you from and why did you choose Wesleyan to further your education? A: I am from Nanuet, New York but I went to a boarding school called Phillips Exeter Academy. I chose Wesleyan because I was intrigued by how people were given the freedom to pursue their interests, no matter how different these interests might be. I was also attracted by the collaborative atmosphere and how people seemed to encourage and support their peers. Q: What are you majoring in? A: I'm double majoring in chemistry and English, and I hope to write a thesis on…