Olivia Drake FIRST DAY FOR FROSH: Members of the Class of 2011 arrived on campus Aug. 28 during New Student Arrival Day. President Michael Roth welcomed new students to campus. nformation packets were distributed in front of Exley Science Center. A week-long New Student Orientation program followed Arrival Day, which is designed to introduce the incoming class to the Wesleyan community and assist with the transition to university life. New students were immersed in information sessions, meeting with faculty and peer advisors, campus tours, arts events, field trips, dances and a barbecue. Jack Stewart, right, helps his daughter, Lia Stewart '11, unpack…
Matthew Kurtz, assistant professor of psychology, teaches behavioral neurobiology. Posted 09/19/07 Matthew Kurtz has joined the Psychology Department as an assistant professor. Kurtzs research focus is on developing cognitive and social-cognitive training programs for improving neurocognitive and psychosocial function in patients with schizophrenia. Hes interested in implementing functional brain imaging probes, neuropsychological tests and real-world employment outcomes as measures of change. Hes co-teaching Behavioral Neurobiology this fall. Kurtz comes to Wesleyan from The Neuropsychiatry Research Center, part of the Institute of Living in Hartford where he was a research scientist. There, he studied neurocognition, brain imaging and rehabilitation in…
President Michael Roth '78 greets Betty Tishler, wife of the late Max Tishler, for whom Wesleyan dedicated a science lecture hall in his name. Pictured in back is Max and Betty's son, Peter Tishler. Posted 09/19/07 Science Center Room 150 was recently dedicated in the name of a Chemistry Department icon. Members of the Wesleyan community gathered outside the Exley Science Center classroom Sept. 6 to remember the work, mentorship and memory of Max Tishler. The classroom is now named Tishler Lecture Hall. Max Tishler touched countless numbers of chemistry students at Wesleyan. He was the president of Merck, Sharpe…
Posted 09/19/07 Q: Jodi, you spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence University. What attracted you to Wesleyan?A: I enjoyed my nine years at St. Lawrence and would have been content to begin a 10th, however, the opportunity to coach at Wesleyan was one that I could no turn down, for two main reasons. Professionally, I am very excited to be at an institution of Wesleyans caliber and to be able to work with the dynamic student-athletes the university attracts. I am a Rhode Island native. Its nice to be back in New England.Q: When does hockey…
Dan Koepf, analyst-programmer for Information Technology Services - Student Services, is responsible for the design, analysis, creation, modification, testing and maintenance of software application programs for several departments on campus. Posted 09/19/07 When Dan Koepf began his career in Information Technology Services, Wesleyan was using only a couple of computers university-wide. Today, there are more than 1,250 personal computers, 447 special-purpose computers and 33 research and teaching computers in use on Wesleyans campus. And this excludes the hundreds of personal computers and laptops owned and used by students in their residences. It has been an amazing experience to witness…
Sarah Croucher, assistant professor of anthropology, comes to Wesleyan from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, where she directed several archeological excavations. Posted 09/19/07 Sarah Croucher has joined the Department of Anthropology as an assistant professor. She is teaching Introduction to Archaeology and Historical Archaeology of the Modern World this fall. Croucher comes to Wesleyan from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, where she was a teaching fellow in the Archeology Department. There, she taught courses which included the theory and philosophy of archaeology and archaeological field practice. Croucher grew up in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Wesleyan…
Posted 09/19/07 For the past three years, Ron Jenkins has shared his office with a 10-foot-long Balinese dragon. But recently, his fire-breathing friend has found a temporary home inside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The professor of theater, who uses the dragon as a teaching tool on Balinese theater, lent his mythological model, pictured at right, to the museum last May. The dragon is part of an exhibit titled Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, which is on exhibit in New York through January 6, 2008. The dragon is a mythical creature that embodies the…
Posted 09/17/07 Deciphering codes and genomes, DNA replication and biological catalysis are among topics to be discussed during the 8th Annual Molecular Biophysics Program on Sept. 20 at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown beginning at 10 a.m. The event is open to the public. This years keynote speaker is Stephen J. Benkovic, the Evan Pugh Professor and Eberly Chair in Chemistry at Penn State University. Benkovic will speak on DNA replication. Benkovic is one of the leading mechanistic enzymologists in the world, noted for the versatility of his research. His work on the chemistry of biological systems has made important contributions…
Posted 09/17/07 Stephen D. Crites, the Hedding Professor of Moral Science and professor of philosophy, emeritus, died Sept. 13 of prostate cancer. He was 76 years old. Crites was born in Elida, Ohio and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he majored in philosophy and concentrated in music. He earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale and a Ph.D. in philosophical theology also from Yale University. He was ordained to the Methodist ministry. Prior to joining the Wesleyan faculty, Crites was pastor of Grace Methodist Church in Stonington, Conn. and taught at Yale Divinity School and at Colgate University.…
With a snip of red and black Wesleyan ribbons, the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center officially opened Sept. 7 following a dedication ceremony. The three-story, triangular brick building houses airy dining facilities for students, faculty and staff, Wesleyan Station post office, ample meeting spaces, the box office, student organization offices, retail space, and café. A rear terrace provides a high-up view of Andrus Field, Olin Library, Foss Hill and College Row. "Today, after several years of planning and over two years of construction we have the opportunity to share our appreciation to the entire Usdan family and many of the…
Antoinette Zosherafatain 10, pictured in the front row, second from the right, and Katie Boyce-Jacino 10, pictured in the back row, second from the right, proposed a "Malaria Awareness Week" campaign for the United Nations Foundation. As national finalists, they had the opportunity to attend a retreat at the United Nations Foundation offices July 16 and 17. Posted 09/17/07 Every 30 seconds, a child living in sub-Sahara Africa dies from malaria, a virus caused by mosquitoes. Two Wesleyan sophomores want to bring awareness of the preventable disease to campus, and save lives through various activities and fundraising. Antoinette Zosherafatain 10…
Posted 09/17/07 Though music by singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie still influences American songwriters to this day, a Wesleyan Ph.D candidate in ethnomusicology is hoping to draw attention to the influence of Guthries tunes and ideas world-wide. On Sept. 28, Jorge Arévalo Mateus, left, will present "Global Woody," a public program that focuses on Woody Guthrie's enduring musical and cultural legacy as it spreads internationally. Arévalo Mateus is curator of the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York, N.Y. Guthries American folk songs have long had the capacity to resonate with audiences beyond the U.S., however his international re-emergence seems to have taken…