Olivia DrakeMeredith Hughes, assistant professor of astronomy, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to support her research on "Dust and Gas in Debris Disks Reveal the Origins of Planetary Systems." The grant, awarded on April 21, is worth $532,943. Hughes’ research focuses on understanding the formation and evolution of planetary systems. She particularly studies the huge disks of gas and dust surrounding a young star, which can give insight into how and when a star planet might form. The disk is made up of “junk” left over from the star’s formation. The main technique Hughes uses to observe these circumstellar…
Professor Don Oliver received a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) (R15) for his research titled “Mechanism of SecA-dependent protein translocation." The grant, worth $374,148, was awarded on April 15. Oliver is the Daniel Ayres Professor of Biology and professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. Oliver studies how proteins are targeted to and transported across biological membranes utilizing bacteria as a simple model system."The current genetic and biochemical studies are designed to elucidate a molecular motor protein, SecA ATPase, that drives proteins through a universally conserved protein-conducting channel by a largely unknown molecular mechanism,"…
David Low '76, associate director of publications in University Communications, is the author of a short story titled "Elevor," published in the Spring 2014 literary magazine Solstice. "Elevor" is about a young Chinese American woman living and working in Manhattan who suffers from claustrophobia and has several surprising adventures around the city. In addition to his many articles in Wesleyan magazine, Low's fiction has appeared in the Ploughshares Reader, American Families, Under Western Eyes: Personal Essays from Asian America, Many Lights in Many Windows, and Mississippi Review. He is a recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, the MacDowell Colony and…
From daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and pansies to flowering cherry, magnolia and pear trees on College Row, spring blooms finally emerge across campus in warmer temperatures at the end of April. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)
This month, the National Science Foundation awarded Brian Northrop, assistant professor of chemistry, with a 2014 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The CAREER awards support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. The honor came with a five-year grant totaling $537,561, which Northrop will use on his study titled "Selective Thiol-Ene and Thiol-Yne Chemistry, From First Principles to Organic Materials.” At Wesleyan, Northrop's research focuses on the design, synthesis and analysis of new organic materials utilizing molecular…
On April 18, the chemistry majors group, Free Radicals, performed some of their favorite chemical demonstrations. The audience enjoyed liquid nitrogen ice cream afterwards. Photos of the event are below: (Photos by Ryan Heffernan '16) (more…)
(more…)
Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth is the author of the book, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters, published by Yale University Press in May 2014. From Yale University University Press: “Contentious debates over the benefits—or drawbacks—of a liberal education are as old as America itself. From Benjamin Franklin to the Internet pundits, critics of higher education have attacked its irrelevance and elitism—often calling for more vocational instruction. Thomas Jefferson, by contrast, believed that nurturing a student’s capacity for lifelong learning was useful for science and commerce while also being essential for democracy. In this provocative contribution to the disputes, Roth focuses on…
Academic Affairs has named Norman Shapiro, professor of romance languages, as the university’s Distinguished Literary Translator. Shapiro is one of the country’s leading contemporary translators of French. He holds a BA, MA and Ph.D. from Harvard University, and, as Fulbright scholar, the Diplôme de Langue et Lettres Françaises from the Université d’Aix-Marseille. At Wesleyan, Shapiro teaches courses in French theater, poetry, Black Francophone literature and literary translation. His many published volumes span the centuries, medieval to modern, and the genres poetry, novel and theater. His book, The Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine is the recipient of the American Translators…
The colors of the Holi Festival brought the entire campus together to celebrate spring on Foss Hill on April 25. Shakti, the South Asian Student Association, hosts the event annually. View additional photos in this Wesleyan Facebook gallery. (Photos by Bill Fisher) (more…)
Erika Taylor, assistant professor of chemistry, assistant professor of environmental studies, delivered the keynote address at the 16th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, hosted by the School of Natural Sciences of Fairleigh Dickinson University on April 25. Taylor spoke on "Alternative Energy Sources: Enzymology That Is Essential for Making Lignin." At Wesleyan, Taylor is exploring the enzymology that is essential for making Lignin a viable biomass source for production of energy and as a commodity chemical feedstock.