Olivia DrakeStephen Devoto, professor of biology, professor of neuroscience and behavior won the only seat on Middletown's Planning and Zoning Commission open to a Democrat on Nov. 5. Devoto won Middletown's Planning and Zoning primary election Sept. 10 with 710 votes. Read more about Devoto's win in this Middletown Press article, Middletown Patch article and this "Meet the Candidate" article.
Elizabeth Baumgartner ’15 co-authored two scientific papers that were recently published as abstracts and presented as posters at "PAINWeek 2013: The National Conference on Pain for Frontline Practitioners," a national medical conference held on Sept. 4–7 in Las Vegas, Nev. As part of an internship this summer with Purdue Pharma LP’s Department of Risk Management and Epidemiology, Baumgartner, who is majoring in neuroscience and behavior and the Science in Society Program, participated as a member of a team of epidemiologists doing primary research on the impact of the use and abuse of prescription opioids on both patient and abuser populations.…
Music Department doctoral student Maho Ishiguro received a $2,300 grant from the Society for Asian Music in October 2013. Ishiguro will use the grant for her research on the booming popularity of Achenese dance traditions among high school girls in Jakarta, Indonesia. Ishiguro, of Tokyo, Japan, moved to the U.S. when she was a junior in high school. This is her second year studying ethnomusicology at Wesleyan. Grant Applicants must be full-time graduate students enrolled in U.S. institutions and may use these funds to supplement other grants. Grants are to be used for research, including fieldwork, pre-dissertation research, travel, language study, and other…
Wesleyan received a grant from the State of Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection to support a new electric vehicle charging station installation on campus. Wesleyan is one of 42 to receive the award in the state. The new station will be placed adjacent to an existing station located in the Freeman Athletic Center parking lot. It will service two vehicles. “Our goal is a network of charging stations that allows anyone driving an electric vehicle to travel anywhere in our state with total confidence that they will be able to recharge their car battery when necessary,” said Connecticut Governor Dannel…
James Reid, professor of mathematics, emeritus, died Oct. 27. An authority on algebra, Reid joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1969 as associate professor, becoming professor of mathematics in 1971. Previously, he had held faculty positions at Syracuse University and Amherst College, and he also had served as a research associate at Yale University. He obtained his PhD from the University of Washington, where he was an instructor. Reid published in scholarly journals throughout his career, presented numerous invited lectures, and was an adviser for 14 PhD students, 11 master’s degree students, and six undergraduate honors theses. Among his colleagues, he…
Sheryl Culotta, director of continuing studies and Graduate Liberal Studies, will serve as Wesleyan's associate provost beginning Nov. 18. Culotta started working at Wesleyan in 2005. She earned a JD at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a BA from Colgate University. Before coming to Wesleyan, she was assistant director of Master of Liberal Arts at Stanford University. As director of continuing studies, Culotta has a long record of developing, launching and overseeing many new programs at Wesleyan, including Summer Session, Coursera, Pre-College Studies, Non-Degree Study, ICPP and the new Winter Session, while continuing to manage the Graduate…
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More than 50 children enrolled in Wesleyan's Neighborhood Preschool participated in the annual NPS Halloween Parade on Oct. 31. The children, accompanied by their parents, grandparents, teachers and care-takers, paraded through Exley Science Center and stopped at Olin Library and North College to sing songs. Many Wesleyan staff members passed out candy to the children along their parade route. Photos of the event are below. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)
Humanity is called to imagine an ethic that not only acknowledges but emulates the ways by which life thrives on Earth. How do we act, when we truly understand that we live in complete dependence on an Earth that is interconnected, interdependent, finite, and resilient? – The Blue River Declaration Every year, the College of the Environment gathers a group of Wesleyan faculty, scholars of prominence from outside Wesleyan and undergraduate students into a year-long academic think tank on a critical environmental issue. This year's theme is "Re-Envisioning the Commons." On Oct. 10, the group began engaging with the “Commons”…
Fulbright Fellow Janette Suherli could attend graduate school anywhere in the world, but the Indonesian resident decided to persue her master's degree in astronomy here at Wesleyan. "I learned about Wesleyan when I was in high school, and now I'm here because the Astronomy Department offers a great research program with well-known faculty members. The research and learning environment encourages me to be better everyday," she said. Suherli, who came to Wesleyan this fall, is one of three international Fulbright recipients who chose to complete their graduate studies at Wesleyan. Christine May Yong of Malaysia, plans to be at Wesleyan…
For demonstrating sustainability commitments and sustainable leadership, Wesleyan received a silver rating by STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System), a program of The Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Wesleyan received the honor on Oct. 14 after successfully completing the institution's STARS Report, which includes all of the data submitted during the reporting process. See the full report online here. In November 2012, Wesleyan became a member of AASHE to recognize the importance of sustainability and commitments set forth in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. AASHE is a national organization that enables higher education institutions to meet…