Olivia Drake – Page 12

Two-time Grammy Award-winning producer and Atlantic Records President of A&R Pete Ganbarg '88 will host a new Rock N' Roll High School podcast starting May 6. The series, presented by Warner Music Group, will feature legendary figures in contemporary music. The first three episodes star Grammy-winning composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist, Nile Rodgers; two-time Rock & Roll and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Graham Nash; and Go-Go’s bassist and songwriter, Kathy Valentine. Following the premiere, new episodes will launch every other week. “It’s been an honor to sit down with each of these incredibly influential and uniquely talented individuals and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the Wesleyan community in a myriad of ways from student life to research to the way we teach and learn. This spring, Wesleyan's Special Collections & Archives, along with Academic Affairs, are hoping to build a historical record—and preserve for posterity—the stories, memories, messages, and creative works of the University's students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Postcards from a Pandemic Wesleyan's Special Collections & Archives has launched a "Postcards from a Pandemic" project, which aims to help future students and researchers understand what it was like to be a member of the Wesleyan community during…

Ellen Thomas, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Integrative Sciences, is the co-author of five scientific papers. All are part of the output of international collaborations of which her Wesleyan-based research was a part, funded by the National Science Foundation over the last three years. “All the studies look at different aspects of the behavior of microscopic organisms in the oceans under past environmental stress, whether caused by the impact of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, or past episodes of global warming or cooling, and at the effect of different rates of environmental change on these life forms," she said.…

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A film produced by Dan Janvey '06 titled Nomadland was the recipient of a 2021 Oscar presented during the 93rd Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards on April 25. Nomadland not only won Best Motion Picture of the Year, but director/producer Chloé Zhao was the second woman to win the Best Directing Award and the first woman of color to win the award. Janvey, who majored in film studies at Wesleyan, shares the Best Picture award with co-producers Zhao, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, and Mollye Asher. Janvey also produced the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, which was…

This month, the Center for the Arts is hosting three virtual opening receptions for 19 graduating art studio majors to showcase their work as part of the Senior Thesis Exhibition. Since Zilkha Gallery is only open to Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff during the pandemic, the virtual format allows alumni, parents, friends, and other members of the Wesleyan community to view the students' work. "We're hoping to create access—especially for those of you who are not on campus—to see these shows in person and see what [the artists'] work looks like in space and scale," said Benjamin Chaffee, associate director…

On April 17, Wesleyan's Japanese community gathered outside the College of East Asian Studies to celebrate Ohanami, or “flower viewing." In early spring, three sakura—or cherry blossom trees—are blooming near the Japanese Garden. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual gathering was restricted to current students studying Japanese and CEAS faculty members. The cherry trees were donated in the mid-70s by Nobel Laureate Satoshi Omura, who received an honorary degree from Wesleyan in 1994. "The cherry blossoms’ timing was perfect," said event coordinator Naho Maruta, associate professor of the practice in East Asian Studies. "We had fallen cherry blossoms all…

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. A sampling of recent media hits is below: April 7 The Boston Globe - She Loves Theater, Dessert, and New Zealand — and Can’t Wait to Get to Japan. Features HowlRound director Jamie Gahlon, who is currently completing her master's degree in performance curation at Wesleyan. US Lacrosse Magazine - Behind the Whistle: All in the Family. Features Carly Randall, assistant lacrosse coach at Wesleyan. Street Insider - Avalonbay Communities news. Mentions Richard Lieb '81,…

In the spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading, Wesleyan students hosted the third annual TEDxWesleyanU conference on April 16–17. Titled "(Un)Knowing," the event's speakers included: Alford Young Jr. '88, professor of sociology, Afroamerican and African studies, and public policy at the University of Michigan Field Yates '09, NFL Insider for ESPN and co-host of "Fantasy Football" Emily McEvoy '22, College of Social Studies major, 2021 Student Speaker Competition Winner, and Middletown Mutual Aid organizer Gato Nsengamungu '23, physics and government double major from Rwanda Doug Berman '84, two-time Peabody Award-winning producer of NPR's "Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell…

Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 will be the featured speaker during the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce's annual Business and Education Partnership and Hal Kaplan Middletown Mentor Program Recognition Luncheon. President Roth will speak from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27 via Zoom. The talk, which will focus on Wesleyan's pandemic response, is open to the public. To join the meeting, log into: https://zoom.us/j/99052690757 (Webinar ID: 990 5269 0757)

Next fall, Wesleyan will require all students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to returning to campus. Every student (with the exception of those who have approved medical or religious exemptions) will need to verify with the University that they are fully vaccinated prior to their arrival. For students who are currently studying on campus, Wesleyan, in partnership with the Community Health Center, is offering a Pfizer vaccine clinic on April 24 and 25 (first dose), and again on May 15 or 16 (second dose). Nearly 2,000 students have already registered for an appointment. The University highly encourages faculty and staff to…

As part of a class assignment for the spring 2021 course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction, students were tasked with writing short essays on the continuing battle for normalcy while attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The class is taught by Daniel de Visé '89, Koeppel Journalism Fellow. After graduating from Wesleyan and Northwestern University, de Visé spent 23 years working in newspapers. He shared a 2001 team Pulitzer Prize and garnered more than two dozen other national and regional journalism awards. He's also the author of three books. Journalistic nonfiction, de Visé, explained, uses…

Ganbarg ’88 Hosts New Rock N’ Roll High School Podcast

Share Your Wesleyan COVID-19 Experiences, Creative Works

Thomas Co-Authors 5 Studies on Oceanic Environmental Stress

Stewart Leads Annual Earth Rant in Honor of Earth Month

Janvey ’06 Wins 2021 Oscar for Producing Nomadland

Art Studio Seniors Display Thesis Exhibitions from the Art Studio Program in the Zilkha Gallery

Japanese Community Celebrates Spring with Cherry Blossom Festival

Wesleyan in the News

Alumni, Experts Discuss “(Un)Knowing” at 3rd Annual TedXWesleyanU

Roth to Speak During Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

Wesleyan to Require Students to be Vaccinated for the Fall 2021 Semester

Nonfiction Journalism Class Explores the Continuing Battle for COVID-19 Normalcy