2020 – Page 5

Ellen Thomas, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Integrative Sciences, Smith Curator of Paleontology of the Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History, and University Professor in the College of Integrative Sciences, is the recipient of the 2020 Joseph A. Cushman Award for Excellence in Foraminiferal Research. At Wesleyan, Thomas investigates oceanic benthic foraminifera (eukaryotic unicellular organisms) as proxies for the impact of changes in environment and climate on living organisms on various time scales. This fall, she's teaching the courses Research Frontiers in the Sciences and Mass Extinctions in the Oceans. Brian Huber, president of the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal…

Next month, Wesleyan will host its annual Admission 101 for Wesleyan Families to help high school juniors and families prepare for the college application process. This virtual event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, and from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22. Co-sponsored by the Office of Admission and Office of Advancement, this event offers information on interview techniques, discovering campus life through the experiences of Wesleyan students, and making the transition from high school to college. (more…)

In this continuing series, Annie Roach ’22, an English and Italian studies major from Middletown, Del., reviews alumni books and offers a selection for those in search of knowledge, insight, and inspiration. The volumes, sent to us by alumni, are forwarded to Olin Library as donations to the University’s collection and made available to the Wesleyan community. Jeremy Arnold ‘91, The Essentials Vol. 2: 52 More Must-See Movies and Why They Matter (Turner Classic Movies, 2020) In 2020, many of us have been turning to movies for entertainment in the comfort of our homes, making the demand for good film…

During the 2020-21 Wesleyan Winter Session, students can complete a full-semester course in 16 days while developing close relationships with faculty and fellow students. The seventh Wesleyan Winter Session will be held exclusively online this year, with an expanded curriculum. For the first time, students can choose from a short session, Jan. 4–20, 2021, or a long session, Jan.4–Feb. 2, 2021. Students who enroll in short session may take one course; students who enroll in long session may enroll in up to two courses. More than 20 courses will be offered this winter including Introduction to Programming, Enlightenment and Science,…

Wesleyan students, graduate students, and recent alumni will present research posters during the annual Geological Society of America meeting Oct. 26–30. The virtual event will allow for a five-minute presentation followed by a five-minute period to answer questions. Earth and environmental sciences graduate student Yu Kai Tan '20 and Andy (Dick Yee) Tan '21 will present their poster, titled "Freshwater Mussels in North America: Museum Collections and Pre-Industrial Biogeography," at 5:15 p.m. Oct. 29. Their advisors are Ann Burke, professor of biology, and Ellen Thomas, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Integrative Sciences, Smith Curator of Paleontology of the Joe Webb…

Wesleyan parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered together virtually Oct. 16–17 to celebrate Wesleyan's 2020 Homecoming and Family Weekend. Participants were treated to popular WESeminars, live campus tours, a Parents' Assembly, two symposiums, and more, all from the comfort of their own homes. (Videos of the events are online from Friday and Saturday.) Screenshots of the various events are below. (more…)

The Theater Department presented its fall show, SLABBER, Oct. 16–18 on the Center for the Arts green. The socially-distanced performances were open for groups of 48 audience members at a time. Directed by Assistant Professor of Theater Katie Pearl, SLABBER introduced the audience to a group of enigmatic figures who have traveled to Wesleyan to diagnose their mysterious condition—one they have been suffering from for years. As they reveal their research, audience members are pulled deep into a fable of an outcast little girl, the history of Middletown, and a soap-cutting machine known only as the slabber. This performance asked…

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The 18th annual "Where on Earth Are We Going?" Symposium of the Robert F. Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment was held on Oct. 16 and 17 in a virtual format as part of Homecoming and Family Weekend events. (more…)

Katja Kolcio, director of the Allbritton Center, associate professor of dance, received a $64,745 grant from the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) this month to evaluate the impact of somatic methods on psycho-social wellness in the context of the armed conflict in Donbas, Ukraine. "Somatic methods, which are the basis of this project, are movement-based methods that hone body-mind connection in the interest of promoting self-awareness and wellness," Kolcio explained. The Vitality Donobas Project is a collaboration between Kolcio and the Development Foundation (DF), an NGO dedicated to psycho-social relief, formed in Ukraine during the Maidan Revolution.…

A film directed by Joel Gershon '94 will make its world premiere on Oct. 21. The documentary, titled "Cirque du Cambodia," is about two teenagers from Cambodia who learned how to become circus performers at a special school for the arts near their home village. They became determined to become the first Cambodians to take the stage with Cirque du Soleil after seeing one of their videos. The two of them moved across the world to Montreal, where Cirque du Soleil is headquartered, in order to attend the world’s most elite circus school after getting full scholarships there. The film…

Thomas Honored for Excellence in Foraminiferal Research

Rouse Leads Faculty Fall Luncheon Talk on Radical Naturalism

Prepare for the College Application Process Through Admission 101 Program for Families

“You Just Have to Read This…” Books by Wesleyan Authors Arnold ‘91, McKenna ’79, P’20, and Posner ’86

Wesleyan Winter Session Offers Expanded Options for Study; Registration Opens Nov. 3

Students, Alumni to Make Presentations at Geological Society of America Meeting

Cardinals Celebrate 2020 Homecoming and Family Weekend Virtually

Theater Department Performs Socially-Distanced Fall Show, SLABBER

“Educating for Equity” Discussed at the 28th Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium

Accelerating the Climate Revolution, Life on Venus Discussed at “Where on Earth Are We Going?” Symposium

Kolcio Receives Grant from the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme

“Cirque du Cambodia” by Gershon ’94 to Make World Premier Oct. 21