Natalie Robichaud ’14The 2nd Wesleyan Hackathon Challenge took place from noon on Friday, Sept. 6 until noon on Sunday, Sept. 8. Each participating team was provided a 1 GB Linode VPS on which to host their application, which must live and operate without using additional computing resources. While brainstorming and server maintenance were allowed before and after the allotted time slot, all code writing and editing had to take place within 48 hours. A team of Wesleyan Computer Science alumni judged the submissions and named winners based on creativity (Does the app solve a problem in a novel way? Does it do…
Kate CarlisleWesleyan again ranked among the top 20 schools of its size for the number of graduates it sent to the Teach for America corps this year. Ten graduates joined TFA; approximately 7 percent of the class of 2013 applied to join the corps. Since TFA was founded 23 years ago, 177 Wesleyan alumni have taught as corps members. “TFA maintains an active presence on campus,” said Career Center Director Sharon Belden Castonguay. “They enjoy success with their recruiting efforts among Wesleyan students.” This is the sixth consecutive year Wesleyan has been in the top 20 among schools with 2,999 students…
Lauren RubensteinOn Sept. 10, Professor of Economics Richard Grossman participated in a Book Manuscript Workshop at Queen's University Centre for Economic History in Belfast, Ireland. He gave a talk on his forthcoming book, WRONG: Nine Economic Policy Disasters and What We Can Learn From Them. It will be published by Oxford University Press in October.
Olivia DrakeHannah Norman '16 spent five weeks this summer participating in a Fiona Ayerst Underwater Photography internship in Guinjata Bay, Mozambique. The internship program introduces aspiring wildlife photographers and videographers to the art of underwater photography. As an intern, she received special training and career guidance on how to develop from an enthusiastic amateur level to a professional level, capable of producing professional work and making a paying career out of this niche. She explored the Manta Reef, a popular diving destination, and tidal flats near Inhambane, Mozambique. She also attempted to photograph whales and dolphins on an ocean safari. View…
Chris Rasmussen, assistant professor of mathematics, recently finished teaching a summer professional development course for K-8 teachers in the Danbury, Conn. school district. The program, called Intel Math, increases the mathematical content knowledge of elementary and middle-school teachers, with the long-term goal of strengthening STEM training. The Intel Math course ran eight hours a day for two weeks. Rasmussen co-taught the course with Sharon Heyman, a mathematics education specialist from the University of Connecticut. In 2012, Rasmussen taught the course with a cohort of 15 teachers from around central Connecticut. This summer, he taught 23 teachers in the Danbury school…
Ellen Thomas, research professor of earth and environmental sciences, presented a keynote address at the 11th International Conference on Paleoceanography, Sept. 1-6 in Barcelona-Sitges, Spain. The theme of this conference was "Long-term perspectives on ocean and climate dynamics" and Thomas spoke on "Dynamics of the ancient non-analogue oceans." See her CV online here.
Three Wesleyan University Press books received recent accolades. What is Amazing by Heather Christle, was named a finalist in the 2013 Massachusetts Book Awards. It also is included in “2013 Must Read Books” campaign, aimed at Massachusetts public libraries. When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of the Animation Studio UPA by Adam Abraham received an “Outstanding” ranking from 2013 University Press Books Committee of the American Association of School Librarians. Outstanding titles are considered “essential additions to most library collections.” According to the committee, When Magoo Flow is a "readable and surprising history of the groundbreaking animation studio, UPA.…
In this Q&A we speak with Cameron Donnay Hill, assistant professor of mathematics. Hill joined the Wesleyan faculty this fall. Q: Professor Hill, welcome to Wesleyan! What attracted you to the University and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science? A: Wesleyan provides a wonderful balance between teaching and research that can be found almost nowhere else, and I can only think of a few additional places where the "average" undergrad is remarkably clever and curious. Q: What are your research interests? A: I'm mostly interested in questions about "finite and discrete" mathematical objects, but my research program is to…
Bill FisherThis fall, Wesleyan will host fundraising events in San Francisco, Boston, and on campus during Homecoming/Family Weekend. These events—fundraisers for financial aid—feature thinkers, artists, and policy and culture makers you want to experience. View the video below: [youtube width="640" height="420"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pCOIkjS_xk[/youtube] THIS IS WHY: Share photos, news, events, giving. http://thisiswhy.wesleyan.edu/events
Jan Eliasberg '74 is a rarity in Hollywood—a woman who directs action dramas. In this video, she reflects on being at Wesleyan in the 1970s, and talks about founding Second Stage at the '92 Theater. Watch this video and many more on the Video @ Wesleyan website. [youtube width="640" height="420"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRuSFdFxkrY[/youtube] THIS IS WHY: http://thisiswhy.wesleyan.edu
On Aug. 25, Wesleyan welcomed 92 international students to campus - 71 foreign nationals and 21 U.S. citizens living abroad, or about 13 percent of the entire Class of 2017. Why did they choose Wesleyan? Here are a few of their answers: [youtube width="640" height="420"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU1_o7sl85o[/youtube]
In this video, meet neuroscience major Nicholas Woods '13. Woods talks about his senior thesis on the topic of epilepsy, and describes the unique research experiences Wesleyan offers undergraduate science students. Watch this video and many more on the Videos @ Wesleyan website. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/NfNxbv5mEVc[/youtube]