Olivia DrakeApril 13, 20112min
Matthew Garrett brings research interests in American literature, narrative theory, literary and social history, and social theory to Wesleyan’s Department of English. Garrett, an assistant professor, joined the department in 2008. He has a B.A. from Bard College, a M. Phil. from Cambridge University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. “I came to Wesleyan to work with superb scholars and to teach students who are famous as some of the best in the world. That combination of active scholarship and exciting teaching is truly exceptional, and I think it distinguishes Wesleyan from both its liberal-arts and big-university peers,”…

Brian KattenApril 13, 20113min
Kate Mullen, who recently completed her 19th year in charge of the Wesleyan University women's basketball team, was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame at its 24th annual induction ceremony April 13. Coach Mullen was honored as one of seven inductees. She was the only individual inducted as a college coach.  Two others were honored as high school players, one as a high school coach, one as a college player, one as a referee and another in the honorary area. Hired as an adjunct assistant professor of physical education at Wesleyan in 1992, Mullen guided her teams to nine consecutive winning…

Olivia DrakeApril 13, 20111min
Elizabeth Willis, the Shapiro-Silverberg Associate Professor of Creative Writing, associate professor of English, is the author of a poetry collection titled Address, published by Wesleyan University Press in March 2011. According to Wesleyan UniversiyAddress draws readers into visible and invisible architectures, into acts of intimate and public address. These poems are concentrated, polyvocal, and sharply attentive to acts of representation; they take personally their politics and in the process reveal something about the way civic structures inhabit the imagination. Poisonous plants, witches, anthems, bees—beneath their surface, we glimpse the fragility of our founding, republican aspirations and witness a disintegrating landscape artfully…

Olivia DrakeApril 13, 20112min
Abigail Hornstein, assistant professor of economics, is the author of “Where A Contract Is Signed Determines Its Value: Chinese Provincial Variation in Utilized vs. Contracted FDI Flows,” published in the March 2011 edition of the Journal of Comparative Economics, 39(1). In the article, Hornstein explains how there are major differences between ex ante corporate investment plans and ex post investments. The case of China is useful for understanding this problem because there is substantial time series and cross sectional variation in the ratio of utilized to contracted FDI (UC ratio), which is less than one in most province-year observations. Provinces…

Olivia DrakeApril 13, 20112min
Lori Gruen, chair of the Philosophy Department, associate professor of feminist, gender and sexuality studies, associate professor of environmental studies, is the author of Ethics and Animals: An Introduction, published by Cambridge University Press in March 2011. In this comprehensive introduction to animal ethics, Gruen weaves together poignant and provocative case studies with discussions of ethical theory, urging readers to engage critically and empathetically reflect on their treatment of other animals. She provides a survey of the issues central to human-animal relations and a reasoned new perspective on current key debates in the field. She analyzes and explains a range of theoretical positions…

Olivia DrakeApril 13, 20112min
Hilary Barth, assistant professor of psychology, is the co-author of “Non-Bayesian Contour Synthesis” published in Volume 21, Issue 6 of Current Biology, March 2011. The authors studied how our visual system 'fills in the gaps' when looking at interrupted or partially obscured shapes. The research is featured in a Dispatch article in Current Biology titled "Visual Perception: Bizarre Contours Go Against The Odds". The reports presents new motion displays that depict simple occlusion sequences. These displays elicit vivid percepts of illusory contours. Unlike most illusory contours, the contours in these displays are "unnecessary": they don't help us make sense of the information…

David LowApril 13, 20111min
The first comprehensive mid-career retrospective devoted to pioneering New York–based artist Glenn Ligon ’82 will be held at the Whitney Museum of American Art (45 Madison Ave. at 75th Street, 212-570-3600) in New York City from March 10 through June 5.   The exhibition, Glenn Ligon: AMERICA, features about 100 works, including paintings, prints, photography, drawings, and sculptural installations, as well as striking recent neon reliefs, one of them newly commissioned for the Whitney’s Madison Avenue windows. Over the course of his career, Ligon has created a body of work that has explored American history, literature, and society as it…

Olivia DrakeApril 13, 20111min
Planned Parenthood presented Wesleyan Uncut, a student group that promotes sexual dialogue on campus, with this year's prestigious "Walk the Talk" award at their annual gala in Washington D.C. April 7. The students created a video titled “I Have Sex,” to speak out against an ideological attack against Planned Parenthood. Uncut members Jacob Eichengreen ’13, Su Park '12, Melanie Hsu '13, Katya Botwinick '13 and Laura Lupton ’12 attended the ceremony. Planned Parenthood funded their travel expenses to D.C. Wesleyan Uncut conceptualized the film with filmmakers Eric Byler ’94 and Annabel Park. The video has more than 286,000 views on…