Olivia Drake(more…)
Jelle Zeilinga de Boer, the Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science emeritus, is the author of Stories in Stone: How Geology Influenced Connecticut History and Culture published by Wesleyan University Press in July 2009. In the 228-paged book, geoscientist Zeilinga de Boer describes how early settlers discovered and exploited Connecticut’s natural resources. Their successes as well as failures form the very basis of the state’s history: Chatham’s gold played a role in the acquisition of its Charter, and Middletown’s lead helped the colony gain its freedom during the Revolution. Fertile soils in the Central Valley fueled the state’s development…
Brian Northrop has joined the Chemistry Department as the assistant professor of chemistry. His research focuses on the design, synthesis and analysis of new organic materials utilizing molecular recognition, self-assembly and dynamic covalent chemistry. "I wanted to work at a school that has a strong emphasis on teaching and the liberal arts, but I also really enjoy doing high-level research in chemistry and Wesleyan allows me to do both," Northrop says. "Wesleyan is unique in it’s size and strengths, and I’m very excited to be here." Northrop graduated from Middlebury College in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and…
David PesciWesleyan University has announced the promotion to full professor, effective July 1, 2009, of the following members of the faculty. Stephen Angle, professor of philosophy, came to Wesleyan in 1994. He has served as director of the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, co-directed the NEH summer seminar "Traditions into Dialogue: Confucianism and Contemporary Virtue Ethics" at Wesleyan in 2008, was a Fulbright Research Scholar at Beijing University in 2006-2007, and was awarded Wesleyan's Binswanger prize for excellence in teaching in 2006. His research focuses on neo-Confucian philosophy, and his books include Sagehood: The Contemporary Significance of Neo-Confucian Philosophy…
The Wesleyan University Board of Trustees affirmed the following appointments to the faculty, effective July 1, 2009: Promotion with tenure: Yuriy Kordonskiy, associate professor of theater, was appointed assistant professor at Wesleyan in 2002. Previously he was visiting assistant professor at George Washington University. He has served as head of directing in the Theatermakers program at the O’Neill Theater Center, and was visiting artist at Columbia University in Spring 2007. He teaches acting and directing, and has performed and directed internationally. His recent directed productions include Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, Galin’s Sorry, and Gogol’s The Marriage. He holds an M.S. from…
Douglas Foyle, Irina Russu and John Seamon were honored with the 2009 Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching May 24. The Binswanger Prize was inaugurated in 1993 as an institutional recognition of outstanding faculty members. Prize recipients are chosen by a selection committee of emeriti and current faculty members and members of the Alumni Association's Executive Committee. Douglas Foyle, the Douglas J. and Midge Bowen Bennet Associate Professor of Government, joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1998, after serving as a postdoctoral fellow in international relations at the Mershon Center for the Study of International Security at Ohio State University. He…
Jonathan Cutler, associate professor of sociology, spoke to Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia '02 about the United Auto Workers and the union's circumstance relative to the bankruptcy filings of General Motors Corp. Cutler is an expert on labor organizations. The report is online.
The following faculty members retired from Wesleyan University in May 2009. Their names, positions at Wesleyan, and Ph.D/D.Phil institutions are below: ANTHONY ANIELLO INFANTE Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (1984–2009) Professor of Biology (1978–1984) Associate Professor of Biology (1972–1978) Assistant Professor of Biology (1967–1972) Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania PETER KILBY Professor of Economics (1976–2009) Associate Professor of Economics (1970–1976) Assistant Professor of Economics (1965–1970) D.Phil., Oxford University R. LINCOLN KEISER Professor of Anthropology (1990–2009) Associate Professor of Anthropology (1977–1990) Assistant Professor of Anthropology (1972–1977) Ph.D., University of Rochester ÁKOS ÖSTÖR Professor of Anthropology (1988–2009) Ph.D., University of Chicago JOHN…
Corrina KerrBefore the internationally-known social network site Facebook existed, there was Social Psychology Network (SPN), founded at Wesleyan in 1996 by professor of psychology Scott Plous. Three years after launching his site, Plous received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to enhance SPN. Now NSF is providing a new $700,000 grant to help Plous transform the site into a full featured social networking service for visitors and its approximately 2,000 members across the world. The primary users of SPN are researchers, educators, students, and others interested in psychology. According to the site's usage page, more than 10,000 people from over 100…
Jan Naegele, professor of neuroscience and behavior, professor and chair of biology, was honored for her innovative work in bioscience by the organization “We Work For Health" overseen by the Connecticut Consortium of Independent Colleges on May 18. Congressman Joe Courtney presented a plaque to Naegele’s designee, Deborah Hall '11 at a ceremony in Cromwell, Conn.
Dante, Bolognese poetry, Leonardo and Quattrocento were among the topics addressed at the Art and History in Renaissance Italy Symposium May 1-2 on campus. The event was held in honor of John Paoletti, Kenan Professor of the Humanities, professor of art history, who is retiring in May. Paoletti is an internationally-prominent scholar in art history with much of his work focused on the Italian Renaissance. "This symposium is a unique one that honors John's 37 years of service to Wesleyan, and his foundational role in developing the university's program in Art History," says Joseph Siry, professor of art history. "The…
Manju Hingorani, associate professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, is the co-author of "Mechanism of Cadmium-mediated Inhibition of Msh2-Msh6 Function in DNA Mismatch Repair," published in Biochemistry, March 25, 2009. Three undergraduates from three countries worked on the project in the Hingorani Lab at Wesleyan. They include Francis Noah Biro '09; Markus Wieland, an exchange student from University of Konstanz; and Karan Hingorani, Manju Hingorani's nephew from St. Xaviers College in Mumbai who did volunteer work in the lab. The project focused on how the heavy metal toxin Cadmium (found in cigarette smoke, industrial pollution, batteries, etc.) causes DNA damage…