David LowThe successful CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, had its milestone 100th episode on Jan. 11. The show was created by Carter Bays ’97 and Craig Thomas ’97, who serve as executive producers and writers for the program. The series deals humorously with the lives of a group of friends living in New York. How I Met Your Mother gets its title from a framing device: the main character, Ted Mosby (played Josh Radnor, with narration by Bob Saget) in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting their mother. The…
The critically acclaimed film and television director Michael Arteta ’89 (Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl, Six Feet Under) has directed a new film, Youth in Revolt, which is based on the cult novel by C. D. Payne. The film opened nationwide to generally positive reviews on Feb. 8. The work had previously been shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will be part of the upcoming Berlin Film Festival Generation lineup. The movie stars the popular young actor Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad, Juno) who plays a frustrated 16-year-old virgin named Nick Twisp. Cera’s character takes on…
Olivia DrakeThis issue we ask 5 Questions of ... Michael Singer, assistant professor of biology. Q: Professor Singer, you are known around campus for being "the bug man," or more specifically, "the caterpillar man." What is your interest in entomology? A: I’m generally interested in insects because of their diversity in form, function, and habits. Contrary to many people, I find most kinds of insects quite beautiful. They also have endless stories to tell. I’m particularly interested in a species of woolly bear caterpillar called Grammia incorrupta because of its polyphagous feeding behavior. (Polyphagous means that it eats many different kinds…
Acclaimed author Amy Bloom ’75 has published a new story collection, Where the Love of God Hangs Out (Random House), which has already received several fine reviews. The book contains two sets of four related stories and four unrelated works in which the author explores love, loss, mortality, and other human predicaments with compassion and humor. The first quartet of stories concerns the love affair between middle-aged friends William and Clare who are married to others. The other set of interlocking tales explores the relationship over 30 years between Julia and her stepson Lionel who are introduced in the story…
In 70 C.E., Roman Emperor Vespasian and his son, Titus, sacked the city of Jerusalem, destroying the Jewish temple. To commemorate the success of quelling the Jewish Revolt, the Romans minted a series of nearly 50 "Judea Capta" (Captured Judaea) coins in gold, bronze and silver to remind the Roman Empire of its victory. Most of these coins depict a Roman soldier or leader, outfitted in military attire, and a mourning female Jewish woman, seated under a palm tree or trophy. On Jan. 14, Jewish Chaplain Rabbi David Teva Leipziger Teva, director of religious and spiritual life, donated a silver…
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently commended Elijah Huge, assistant professor of art, on his efforts with the Mattabeseck Audubon Society. Rell presented the Audubon Society with GreenCircle Award. The Society was experiencing problems at their Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary in Portland, Conn. with beavers who had changed the site so that access was a serious challenge. The Audubon Society welcomed Huge and his Wesleyan students to solve the problem. They designed and constructed a sustainable project under adverse conditions. They created a split frame viewing station consisting of a lower floating…
Gina Ulysse, associate professor of feminist, gender and sexuality studies, associate professor of anthropology, associate professor of African American studies, writes about "Avatar, Voodoo and White Spiritual Redemption" in a Jan. 11 Huffington Post article. In the article, she writes, "New age spirituality with its purported openness may incorporate some African based religious practices especially from Latin America, but (Haitian) Voodoo remains stigmatized therein especially in interfaith circles. Although a growing number of initiates are whites, few multi-denominational churches dare to acknowledge it. Cultural specificities aside, Vodou shares core features spirits, nature, ceremonies and offerings -- with other mystical religions. Avatar…
Cynthia RockwellBeginning this month, Daniel R. Ballon ’01 will serve as a California legislature advisor, one of 10 fellows taking part in a first-of-its kind statewide program designed to provide legislators with access to experts in science and technology to help them evaluate the proposals before them. Ballon, a Phi Beta Kappa Wesleyan graduate with a double major in molecular biology and biochemistry and Russian language and literature, earned his Ph.D in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley. He was previously a senior policy fellow in technology studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy in…
John Paoletti, the Kenan Professor of the Humanities, professor of art history, emeritus will be the MacGeorge Fellow at the University of Melbourne in November and December 2010, a position that involves lecturing and teaching at the university, located in Victoria, Australia. Paoletti recently lectured on Michelangelo's David at Notre Dame and Rutgers and on Medici patronage at the Metropolitan Museum. He was the guest of the Medieval and Early Modern Seminar at Stanford in January, and in mid-February, he will be a speaker in a three-day international symposium at the Victoria and Albert Museum celebrating the reinstallation of their…
Jodi McKenna, head coach of women's hockey, is taking a leave from Wesleyan to coach the U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. The games open Feb. 14. In a Jan. 10 Hartford Courant article titled "Career Path Continues to be Covered with Ice," McKenna says, "It's not something, when I got into coaching, that I would even conceive of, being in this situation. It became more of a possibility the more I became involved in the national program." McKenna was named an assistant coach in May, right before her Wesleyan players went home…
John Bonin, the Chester D. Hubbard Professor of Economics and Social Science, tutor in the College of Social Studies, gave the invited keynote address titled "From Reputation Amidst Uncertainty to Commitment Under Stress: A Decade of Foreign-Owned Banking in Transitioning Economies" at the London Metropolitan Business School Center for International Capital Markets Conference in September 2009. The conference's topic was "20 Years of Transition in Central and Eastern Europe: Money, Banking and Financial Markets."
Nine students were named Johnston Trust Scholars for the 2009-10 academic year by the The James M. Johnston Trust for Charitable and Educational Purposes of Chevy Chase, MD. Harvey Gram ’27 was a friend and colleague of Mr. Johnston and was a longtime trustee (of the Trust). Harvey Gram, a devoted donor to Wesleyan (lobby of Olin is dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Gram), was instrumental in steering scholarship funds to Wesleyan, initially to help Wesleyan become co-educational. After Harvey Gram died, his son, Colonel W. Dunbar Gram P ’83, took his seat on the board and currently serves…