Olivia DrakeStudents of all ages can benefit from liberal arts-based educational opportunities outside of a formal degree-granting program through the new Wesleyan Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL). WILL classes are taken for interest, not for credit. Classes will be small with an informal atmosphere. “Everyone in the room--students and teacher--will be engaged in their subject out of pure curiosity,” says Karl Scheibe, director of the Susan B. and William K. Wasch Center for Retired Faculty. “The learning experience is likely to be more intensive than extensive.” Scheibe, who is overseeing the new institute, says the courses are designed to appeal to…
When Wesleyan student-athlete Adrian “A.J.” Chan ’11 isn’t studying for an economics exam or making a tackle on the football field, he’s busy training Olympic athletes, college and high school students, NFL Superbowl Champions and NBA and NCAA team members. He’s also working with underprivileged youth who use sports as a vehicle for life lessons. Chan, who co-manages the Oakland, Calif.-based gym, Ant’s Mind and Body, prepares athletes by training the body, mind and soul as one. His business, which celebrates its 1-year-anniversary this month, was recently featured in The San Francisco Chronicle. “The training system is a combination of…
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Three members of Wesleyan’s Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) assisted the City of Middletown in manning a temporary cooling station June 9. Stacy Baldwin, construction project coordinator in Physical Plant – Facilities; Cheryl-Ann Hagner, director of the University Events and Scheduling Office; and Brian Nangle, area coordinator in Residential Life, volunteered four hours each at the public station at Middletown High School. Their task was to register, monitor and assist personnel, ensuring their comfort during the heat wave. Formed in September 2009, Wesleyan’s C-CERT was trained to assist first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize volunteers at…
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund sponsored a two-day workshop on solar energy generation and wind energy generation for Connecticut teachers July 15-16 in Usdan University Center. Wesleyan’s Project to Increase the Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS) taught the workshops. The teachers participated in a number of activities appropriate for use with middle and high school-level students. The solar energy workshop included lessons on measuring solar angles, solar radiation, convection heating, building a solar house and solar cooker and photovoltaics. The wind energy workshop included lessons on hurricane winds, measuring wind speeds, wind and windmill generation, blade design, generator and…
Jason Jacobs ’98 is the founder and CEO of the iPhone application RunKeeper. RunKeeper "makes tracking your workouts fun, social, and easy to understand so that you can improve the quality of your fitness." Jacobs works with a staff of eight people and has more than 20,000 followers on Facebook. Jacobs sold about 5,200 copies of his app in the first two months. He now has more than 2 million users. Time Magazine named RunKeeper as a "Top 10 iPhone App" in 2009.
Q: Debbie, you’re the administrative assistant for the Archaeology Program, Medieval Studies Program and the Classical Studies Department. Anything else?! A: In October 2010, I was given a promotion and added the responsibility of also working for the English Department and Writing Workshop in the new Downey House operations support system. At times it is a bit challenging, but I am good at managing my time and priorities so the work gets done in a timely fashion. I wear many different hats and wear them well. Q: How many years have you worked for Wesleyan, and in what departments? A: I have…
More than 45 golfers from Wesleyan participated in the Wesleyan Open Golf Tournament July 10. Participants paid an entry fee which includes an 18-hole round, prizes and dinner. A portion of the fees is collected for a different charity in Middletown. This year, the tournament raised $2,000 for the Bielefield School’s “Support Our Troops project.” Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell proclaimed July 10, 2010 as Wesleyan Open Day and the city council proclaimed the date Beifield School Day.
Stewart Novick, professor of chemistry, and Herb Pickett, a visiting scholar in chemistry, received a $323,880 grant from the National Science Foundation for their research titled “High resolution spectroscopy of molecular hydrogen complexed with Transition metal halides and chalcogens: a model for H2 MOF hydrogen storage.” The grant will be awarded Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, 2013. The grant is subcontract with the project’s co-PI Zhenghong Yu at Aerodyne Research Inc. Using the extremely sensitive Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in Novick's laboratory and incorporating "laser ablation" as a source of refractory molecules, Novick and Pickett plan to study the "active site" of the…
Suzanne O’Connell, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, associate professor of environmental studies, director of the Service Learning Center, received a $21,850 grant from the Keck Geology Consortium to support the “Connecticut River Project.” The award is effective through June 30, 2011.
Jeanine Basinger, chair and the Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies, curator of the Cinema Archives, received a $7,500 grant from the Academy Foundation to support the AMPAS 2010-2011 Speaker Series. The grant will be awarded Nov. 4 through Jan. 31, 2011.