Olivia DrakeThe newly-established Wesleyan Green Fund Committee is supporting initiatives that move the university forward in sustainability and environmental stewardship. On Dec. 3, the student-managed committee will finance projects that will decrease the carbon footprint of the university, decrease waste, increase Wesleyan's use of energy from renewable resources, or increase visibility of environmentally responsible practices on campus. The committee will select projects proposed by Wesleyan students, faculty and staff. Through a $15 fee, collected voluntarily from students during the Fall 2010 semester, the committee raised about $40,000. These “green funds” will be applied to several sustainability-focused projects at Wesleyan that otherwise would not…
This issue, we ask “5 Questions” of Bill Trousdale, professor of physics, emeritus. He recently lectured on “Global Warming and Energy Options" and "The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy." Q: Professor Trousdale, you researched solid state physics at Wesleyan for 30 years, retiring in 1989. Did you always have a side interest in energy creation, consumption and global warming? A: Yes for almost as long as I can remember, in the early 1950s when I learned about the second law of thermodynamics. I was appalled by burning oil at 2,000 degrees to maintain a house at 72 degrees. That…
Wesleyan's non-commercial college and community radio station, 88.1FM WESU, is holding its sixth annual WESU Holiday Pledge Drive. This year’s drive continues through the end of live programming at 3 a.m. on Sunday Dec. 12. The goal for this year’s two-week drive is to raise $15,000 in listener support to sustain operating expenses throughout the coming year. Meeting this goal will keep WESU on track to raise $30,000 in community support before the end of the fiscal year in July. During its 71st anniversary year, WESU completed the 3-year project of quadrupling its broadcasting power from 1,500 to 6,000 watts (ERP). This upgrade…
Wesleyan’s Safety Committee is looking for volunteers willing to help make campus a safer place to work and learn. In the past few years, the committee has conducted a walk-through of 23 buildings on campus; provided personal protective equipment (safety glasses, gloves, ear protection and other equipment) to Physical Plant –Facilities staff; and helped deliver heavy tools and supplies to sites by installing mechanical lifts. They’ve also discussed ways to prevent accidents involving Wesleyan-owned vehicles and staff. “The committee really does care about safety on campus, and we want to make a difference,” says Safety Committee co-chair Chris Cruz, safety…
Cultural Anthropologist Attiya Ahmad joined the Religion Department and Feminism, Gender and Sexuality Studies program as an assistant professor. In the Religion Department, she is teaching a course titled Islam and Muslim Cultures, which familiarizes students with the basic teachings and practices of Islam and examines commonalties and diversity in how Islam has been and continues to be practiced by Muslims. In FGSS, she is teaching a class on Feminist Theories. “Wes is a wonderfully collegial and dynamic intellectual milieu, one that emphasizes both scholarship and teaching,” she says. “This is my first teaching appointment, (more…)
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Cynthia RockwellJonathan Dube ’94 joined AOL as senior vice president and general manager of AOL news and information. Previously, he was vice president of ABCNews.com. Dube has twice served as president of the Online News Association and is now on the board of directors for the association. In a press release, David Eun, president of AOL media and studios, calls Dube "[e]qual parts journalist and business strategist,” and says that he is “adept at building online content partnerships and creating exceptional user experiences." "At the heart of my passion for journalism is my long-time interest in how technology is transforming the…
Richard Grossman, professor of economics, is the co-author of “International Aspects of the Great Depression and the Crisis of 2007: Similarities, Differences, and Lessons,” published in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy 26(3), November 2010, pp. 318-338.
On Nov. 30, CBS named Marysol Castro '96 the weather anchor for "The Early Show,” beginning Jan. 3. This was part of the network’s sweeping change for the show, replacing the entire weekday anchor team of “The Early Show” with their weekend counterparts. Castro had most recently served as the weather anchor and feature correspondent for the ABC News weekend edition of Good Morning America (2004–2010). In conjunction with studio coverage of the national weather outlook, Castro also reported weather-related stories from the field, including several from New Orleans and Florida, focused around the recent hurricanes. Additionally, she has also…