The Wesleyan Connection

At left, Mfundi Makama ’14 and Greg Shaheen ’13 received grants through the Davis Projects for Peace Program.

Two Wesleyan students have been awarded grants through the Davis Projects for Peace Program to bring their grassroots project proposals to fruition. Class of 2014′s Mfundi Makama’s $10,000 grant will support The Buddies Program, which he recently created as a way to empower young women in Swaziland through educational achievement. Greg Shaheen ’13 will use the funds to establish a community-based eco-center focused on environmental education and action for teenagers in Lebanon. The projects will take place this summer.

Student applicants at more than 90 Davis United World College Scholar Program partner schools—including Wesleyan—design grassroots projects that promote peace, build understanding, and address the root causes of conflict. The program is funded by internationalist and philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis, who died earlier this year at the age of 106.

Makama, who is from Swaziland, is double majoring in neuroscience and behavior and molecular biology and biochemistry. Though Swaziland is known as the most peaceful country in Africa, its “culture and tradition relegate women to second-class citizens. Such cultural barriers incite abuse in Swaziland and lead to poor law enforcement,” Makama wrote in his project proposal. (more…)

Anna Haensch is one of two mathematicians selected for the prestigious Mass Media Fellowship this year.

When Anna Haensch tells new acquaintances that she’s a mathematician, many people immediately recoil.

“There’s this repellent nature to math,” she said. “There’s this big wall up around it—people find it terrifying or uninteresting.”

That’s exactly why Haensch, a Ph.D. student who just successfully defended her dissertation, wants to learn how to communicate better to the general public about math. She is the recipient of a Mass Media Fellowship, administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Haensch’s fellowship is sponsored by the American Mathematical Society (AMS). The 10-week summer program, which starts June 3, places graduate and post-graduate level science, engineering and mathematics students at media organizations around the country, where they develop skills to translate their work to the public. Haensch will be stationed at the NPR Science Desk in Washington, D.C.

She was one of two mathematicians selected for the prestigious fellowship this year. Thirteen fellowship recipients in other scientific fields will be stationed at media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, NOVA, Scientific American, and WIRED.

Haensch, who earned her undergraduate degree at the State University of New York at New Paltz, has been at Wesleyan for the past six years, working on number theory under Professor of Mathematics Wai Kui Chan.

“I plug integers into polynomials and see what integers I get out,” she explained. “This is a question that’s really easy to ask, but it’s very hard to get our hands on the solution. Over the last several hundred years, this has been a question people have been very interested in.”

After passing her qualifying exams at Wesleyan, Haensch began teaching courses in pre-calculus (more…)

From left, Nina Gerona ’15; Jen Kleindienst, sustainability coordinator; Bruce Strickland, instrument maker specialist; Tavo True-Alcalá ’15; Dave Strickland, instrument maker specialist; Brent Packer ’15; and Madeleine O’Brien ’16 present the student-designed “Wishing Well.” The project was constructed by the Machine Shop inside Wesleyan’s Scientific Support Services.

As a part of its commitment to be a bottled water-free campus, Wesleyan is continually seeking alternatives to hydrate the campus community.

During Reunion & Commencement, May 23-26, a group of students will debut their sustainable solution, “The Wishing Well,” a custom-built mobile water station. The two-piece water tank, constructed by Wesleyan’s Scientific Support Services, features eight water filtration dispensers. On May 25, the stations will be positioned on Andrus Field, and on May 26, near North College. The stations will dispense filtered water from the public water supply.

The students, Nina Gerona ’15; Tavo True-Alcalá ’15; Brent Packer ’15; and Madeleine O’Brien ’16, received a shared $1,000 prize on May 8 for their design, which won a competition sponsored by the Sustainability Office, Center for the Arts’ Feet to the Fire Initiative, the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and the College of the Environment. The water station also will be used at Homecoming/Family Weekend, and other outdoor events.

Kleindienst and True-Alcalá  presented the design contest to sustainability professionals from across the U.S. at the Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference, held in Bethesda, M.D.

During R&C weekend, Wesleyan will provide campus guests with the reusable water bottles. During Commencement, one will be placed under each attendee’s seat.

Read a Hartford Business Journal article on the water filtration systems online here.

After graduating in May, Hannah Lewis ’13 will head to Panama where she has a job lined up as an associate project director with Amigos de las Americas. “Many students here,” she said, “want to—and will—change the world for the better.”

Q: Hannah, what are you majoring in and what are some of your research interests?

A: I’m a Latin American studies major, with a concentration in Spanish. I’m really interested in exploring different avenues regarding community development, poverty alleviation, and social policies in Latin America. For my major’s research requirement, I wrote a paper analyzing Ecuador’s human and social development progress from 1990 to 2010.

Q: What is your personal interest in Latin America?

A: I grew up in Texas, where I was surrounded by Hispanic influences and debates on immigration. But I first fell in love with the culture, language and people of Latin America after spending a summer in Nicaragua when I was 16. I go back whenever I get the chance! I’ve been lucky enough to spend the past two summers working for Amigos de las Americas, coordinating community development and youth leadership projects in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Besides meeting some amazing people, I’ve also learned to make delicious tostones and dance bachata. I studied abroad in Ecuador my junior year and learned about Andean and Afro-Ecuadorian cultures. And after living in Latin America and collaborating with the people there, I’ve become really passionate about exploring ways to reduce inequality and poverty in the region.

Q: You’ll be graduating May 26. What are your plans after graduation?

A: About five days after I graduate, I’ll be heading to Coclé, Panama, where I have a summer job as an associate project director with Amigos de las Americas. I also recently received a Princeton in Latin America (PiLA) Fellowship to work as the Program Director at an amazing non-profit called Building Dignity next year. I’ll be moving to Lima, Peru in September, which I am very excited about!

Q: So you’re from Texas. What attracted you to Wesleyan? What will you miss most about campus life?

A: I was born and raised in Austin, Texas, but I really wanted to go somewhere new for college. As a pre-frosh I came to WesFest, sat on Foss Hill, and talked with random students about their experiences here. Everyone I met had so much passion, humor and creativity. The people who go here are my favorite part about Wes, and I will definitely miss the inspiration and energy that I am surrounded by daily. So many students here want to—and will—change the world for the better.

Q: What are your favorite classes this semester?

A: I’ve enjoyed all my classes this semester, especially “Sites of Memory and Resistance: Theater, Performance and Political Consciousness in Contemporary Spain” with Professor Bernardo Gonzalez and “Latin American Economic Development” taught by Professor Melanie Khamis. (more…)

Allee Beatty ’13

Wesleyan has its fourth NESCAC Player of the Year in 2012-13 as softball sensation Allee Beatty ’13 joined men’s soccer standout Adam Purdy ’13, women’s soccer star Laura Kurash ’13 and men’s ice hockey scoring leader Keith Buehler ’14 with the honor. Beatty also earned NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades. She led the Cardinals with a .421 average, scored 50 runs, drove in 11, stole 25 bases, had a seasonal record eight triples and was perfect in the field with 58 putouts and one assist in center field.

Her 152 runs, 12 triples and 114 stolen bases all represent Wesleyan career standards and she sits third in career hits with 180. She is a four-time NESCAC honoree with three nods to the all-NESCAC second team before gaining first-team laurels this year.

Beatty is a three-time academic all-NESCAC choice and is a CoSIDA/Capital One District II academic All-American. She found her third spot on an National Fastpitch Coaches Associaton (NFCA) New England all-star squad this year with a first-team selection. She was a second-teamer in 2012 and third-teamer in 2011.  Beatty was not alone with NESCAC honors as pitcher Su Pardo ’16 also garnered first-team recognition while picking up Rookie of the Year honors as well. She went 12-4 with a 1.78 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 188 innings of work.  She joins six other Wesleyan athletes still on campus who enjoyed NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors – Purdy and Kurash being two of them, along with LaDarius Drew ’15 (football), Jordan Schildhaus ’15 (women’s ice hockey), John Steele ’14 (men’s squash) and Shasha Brown ’13 (men’s basketball).  Jill Gately ’15 also was first-team all-NESCAC after hitting .416 with seasonal school-record efforts for doubles (14), homers (7) and RBI (45).  Both she and Pardo were NFCA all-New England third-team choices.

Sophia Hussain ’13

History major Sophia Hussain ’13 received a $500 grant from the Grants Award Committee of the Roosevelt Institute.

According to David Woolner, Senior Fellow and Hyde Park Resident Historian of the Roosevelt Institute, “the Roosevelt Institute does not normally grant awards to undergraduate students, but given the quality of Sophia’s proposal, which was excellent, we decided to make an exception in [her] case.”

The award is meant to assist Hussain’s research at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Two Wesleyan students received honorable mentions from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Sam Factor ’14

Sam Factor ’14, a physics and computer science double major, and Elliot Meyerson ’14, a computer science and mathematics double major, each received a letter of congratulations and a certificate from the foundation. The 2013-14 Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,107 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.

Factor, who hails from Madison, Wisc., hopes to pursue a Ph.D in physics and conduct research in physics, work in industry or teach at the university level. At Wesleyan, Factor works with Fred Ellis, professor of physics, on asymmetric wave transport in nonlinear PT-symmetric electronics.

PT-symmetric systems have unchanged behavior under a combined reversal of time and reflection in space.

“We have shown that the combination of PT-symmetry and nonlinear gain and loss elements produce asymmetric wave transport. This is a remarkable feature and can be used to build devices that exhibit many interesting properties such as unidirectional invisibility and could lead to a device able to transmit and receive signals at the same time on the same frequency.”

During his senior year, Factor may write a senior thesis or complete the BA/MA program.

Elliot Meyerson ’14

Meyerson, of Silver Spring, M.D., hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science and conduct research towards general intelligence and teach at the university level.

Meyerson’s computer science advisor is Eric Aaron, assistant professor of computer sciences, and Wai Kiu Chan, professor of mathematics. He plans on writing a computer science thesis in 2013-14.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on Nov. 14, 1986.

Since its first award in 1989, the Foundation has bestowed over 6,550 scholarships.

Zaida Garcia ’15 is double majoring in African-American studies and feminist, gender and sexuality studies. She’s on the board for Ajùa Campos, she teaches about health sexual attitudes and education to high school students, she is a Latin dancer and a gallery monitor at Zilkha Gallery.

Q: Zaida, where are you from and what attracted you to Wesleyan?

A: I’m from Flushing, New York. Initially, I was attracted to Wesleyan because many students from the program I attend, Prep for Prep, have gone to or currently attend Wes. Since many students I respect went there, I figured that there must be something about this school that keeps bringing us here. I realized through my visits and talks with students that I love Wesleyan’s openness and diversity. Of course, no institution is perfect when it comes to embracing so many views, but Wesleyan offers far more than many other places. Everyone I met was so interesting!

Q: What are you majoring in and why is it important to you to have a liberal arts education?

A: I’m a double major in African-American studies and feminist, gender and sexuality studies. I’m also pre-med! My fields of study aren’t traditionally thought of as routes to the medical world, but I believe the humanities are necessary towards any career path. I find the sciences fascinating and vital, but in medical school they will surround me constantly, and I do not want to ever loose sight of the fact that the job requires that I interact with people. We need to understand why certain populations have unequal access to quality treatment, or why someone may be afraid to report their injuries of domestic violence. Otherwise, a doctor can’t serve anyone fully. Wesleyan’s liberal arts education allows me the flexibility to explore these while still fulfilling my pre-med requirements. I am especially glad to be surrounded by Wesleyan’s amazing visual arts.

Q: Who are some of your favorite professors, and classes at Wes?

A: Last semester, I took Service-Learning at Connecticut Valley Hospital with Professor Jim Donady. The concrete end-goal of the course was to interview our psychiatric patients using the CASIG (Client’s Assessment of Strengths, Interests, and Goals). But it was the intangible that I will never forget from this class: the affirmation of humanity. We are all people, yet some discard those with mental illness as “crazy”, as “other”, literally denying someone’s personhood. You might not think someone else, or even your own self, is interesting or deserving of respect. But you can make a movie out of anyone’s life, it is that important. You can make a life out of your life if you wanted to, you and everyone else is that important. Professor Donady’s stories and quirky ways have affirmed that. Additionally, Leah Wright’s Introduction to Modern African American History is the reason why I am an African-American Studies Major and Leticia Alvarado’s Latina Feminisms is why I’m pursuing FGSS. These amazing women have also taught me to dissect and trace back the chain reactions that create a person.

Q: What do you hope to do after Wesleyan?

A: After Wesleyan, I hope to become a gynecologist for underserved communities. (more…)

Wesleyan’s WESlam team placed 13th out of 59 college teams from around the country in the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, held April 3-6 at Barnard College in New York City.

Five students, Evan Okun ’13, Lily Myers ’15 , Zachary Goldberg ’13, Cherkira Lashely ’15 and Markeisha Hill ’16 competed on the team and Emily Weitzman ’14 coached. Lily Myers won the award for best love poem.

“‘Most moving’ was the response Wesleyan got from community ,” Okun said. “We were complemented for our creative manner in which we resisted the typical ‘slam-poem-formula’ that is often over dramatic and exploitative of personal trauma.”

Watch Zachary Goldberg, Evan Okun and Lily Myers perform “We Made It:”

Rosa Hayes ’13 presented her paper on yield spread during The Carroll Round, an annual international economics conference at Georgetown University, in April. The Carroll Round provides a unique forum for research and discussion among the world’s top undergraduates.

The goal of the Carroll Round is to foster the exchange of ideas among the leading undergraduate international economics and political economy students by encouraging and supporting the pursuit of scholarly innovation in the field.

Hayes’ advisor is Masami Imai, chair and associate professor of East Asian studies, associate professor of economics and director of the Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. She also has been serving as the head tutor of Quantitative Analysis Center’s tutoring program under Manolis Kaparakis, director of the centers for advanced computing.

A Wesleyan team scored 130th out of 402 teams at the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, administered by The Mathematical Association of America. In Dec. 2012, 4,277 students from 578 institutions took the exam. Some students competed in groups of three.

Wesleyan’s top scorer was Joshua Neitzel ’14 with a rank of 239. Sangsan Warakkagun ’15 ranked 569, and Eli Halperin ’15 and Jeremy Fehr ’13 ranked 870.5.

The Putnam Exam is given every year on the first Saturday in December. The exam’s first problem was:

“A1 (2012) Let d1, d2, …, d12 be real numbers in the open interval (1,12). Show that there exist distinct indices i, j, k such that di, dj, dk are the side lengths of an acute triangle.”

“Wesleyan students did very well in the contest this year. It is an exam given for fun, with extremely challenging problems,” said Karen Collins, professor of mathematics.

More than 52 percent of all the contestants received a score of 0.

Hyunjin “Chelsey” Cho ’13, Sarah Chrystler ’13, Amy Cao ’15 and Sarah Croucher, assistant professor of anthropology, assistant professor of archaeology, hold artifacts collected from the “Beman Triangle” site near Wesleyan. The pieces will be on exhibit April 4-May 31 in downtown Middletown.

Between Vine Street, Cross Street and Knowles Avenue near Wesleyan, an innocuous looking triangle of land forms the “Leverett Beman Historic District,” listed on the State Register of Historic Places and part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail. This area is the site of one of the earliest planned African American communities in the United States.

Students discovered this cobalt blue glass shard at the Beman site.

During the spring of 2012, Sarah Croucher, assistant professor of anthropology, assistant professor of archaeology, led an archeological excavation at the “Beman Triangle” site. Several Wesleyan students and community members participated in the dig and unearthed dozens of materials relating to healthcare and everyday practices, such as cooking and dining.

On April 4, Wesleyan will partner with the Middlesex County Historical Society to present an exhibit featuring many artifacts from the excavation. “Unearthing Community: Archaeology of the Beman Triangle” is curated by Croucher and three students: Sarah Chrystler ’13, Amy Cao ’15 and Hyunjin “Chelsey” Cho ’13. Cho is double majoring in art history and economics and has helped curate exhibits at the Davison Art Center and Smithsonian Institution.

“Artifacts from these excavations help to build a picture of daily life in these households during the late 19th century,” Croucher explained. “Materials from one of the houses also has provided a range of artifacts which seem to relate to late-19th century pharmaceutical production, opening up conversations as to the nature of healthcare at this time.”

Multiple houses dotted the Beman Triangle landscape in the 19th century (more…)