Olivia Drake – Page 29

Jennifer Raynor, assistant professor of economics, is the co-author of a study titled "Can native species compete with valuable exotics? Valuing ecological changes in the Lake Michigan recreational fishery," published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, 2020. The Chinook salmon population in Lake Michigan is declining precipitously due to ecological changes, and the impact on recreational fishing value is unknown. In this study, Raynor estimates a conditional model to characterize how Wisconsin resident anglers react to changes in species-specific availability and catch rates. "Using these results, we calculate the non-market value of access to the fishery that reflects current,…

A comical handwashing illustration by author, artist, speaker, and mental wellness coach Ellen Forney '89 appeared in the March 20 edition of The Washington Post and is used in the COVID Coach App, a mental health app from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. She's also offering it as a free printable download from her website. Forney says her how-to "Hand-Washing Like A Pro!" comic adheres to the the World Health Organization guidelines, but is "easier and funnier." "I got the idea for [the comic] after reading that people had trouble remembering the WHO-recommended method," she said. "It's useful…

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, Wesleyan's Sustainability Office led a virtual WesFest session to introduce Class of 2024 admitted students and their families to the office. Several Eco Facilitators and Sustainability Interns from the Wesleyan Sustainability Office, and members of the Wesleyan Green Fund and other environmental sustainability groups on campus shared information on the sustainability scene at Wesleyan. There are currently a total of 16 Eco Facilitators, two Eco Facilitator coordinators, five compost interns, three sustainability coordinators and one Sustainable Middletown intern. Sustainability Director Jen Kleindienst explained the office's three main purposes:…

Several Wes alumni went on to pursue jobs in sports and athletics. While some became professional athletes on nationally-recognized teams, others delved into coaching, refereeing, sports reporting, and team management. In this "Best of Wes" article, read about Wes alumni who turned their love of the game into a lifelong passion and career. (Interested in other Wesleyan-themed lists? Check out our previous “Best of Wes” pieces, including Alumni in Sports I.) Field Yates ’09 is a National Football League (NFL) Insider for ESPN and co-host of ESPN Audio’s Fantasy Focus Football podcast. He joined ESPN in 2012 and is a…

For demonstrating exceptional achievement in academics, undergraduate research, and science outreach, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology inducted Tenzin Ngodup '20, Meera Joshi '20, and Charya Khun '20 into the ASBMB Honor Society, ΧΩΛ. ΧΩΛ recognizes exceptional undergraduate juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in the molecular life sciences at colleges or universities. To be eligible, undergraduate nominees must be members of an ASBMB student chapter, and maintain a minimum of a 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Nominations may be submitted by either a faculty ASBMB member or by the student member. Ngodup, Joshi, and Khun are among only…

The student-run Wesleyan Investment Group (WIG) is celebrating a first-place victory in a six-month-long collegiate investment contest that concluded April 9. Despite the COVID-19 epidemic's detrimental impact to the stock market, WIG managed to garner a 27.04% return in the 2019–20 Adirondack Cup, a stock-picking contest sponsored by the advisor to The Adirondack Small Cap Fund (ADKSX). Wesleyan competed against 22 other institutions in New England and New York. Each student team managed a hypothetical $1 million portfolio consisting of five small cap equities. Team members studied the performance of more than 100 businesses and predicted which ones would perform…

On April 22, Professor of Physics Brian Stewart held his annual Earth Day Rant. This year's topic was "Bending the Curves: Coping with Crises from Car Crashes to Coronavirus to Climate Change." During his talk, Stewart discussed and compared how a car crash, storm, epidemic, and climate change vary in terms of mitigation, adaptation, perception, agency, cost to the United States, and deaths per 100,000 people. The current epidemic has cost the U.S. more than $2.5 trillion, whereas vehicle accidents amount to $277 billion per year (excluding indirect costs), and storms cause $30 billion per year in damages. All contribute…

Astronomy and Physics major David Vizgan '21 has expanded his interest of astrophysics to the far corners of the universe. By using emissions of a "forbidden" line of ionized carbon [CII] in simulated galaxies, he's trying to measure mass and other physical properties of young galaxies over 12.7 billion light years away which populated the universe shortly after the universe's "dark ages". For his outstanding research poster presentation on the subject at the most recent American Astronomical Society meeting, David Vizgan '21 received a Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award. Vizgan is one of 15 undergraduates students (out of 355 total…

This month, the Class of 2024 admitted students and their families are learning all about Wesleyan during the 2020 WesFest. In lieu of the traditional, on-campus three-day event, the University is hosting a series of virtual information sessions, department open houses, student and parent panels, and department events through the Zoom application. "We hope to deliver the same core experience that our on-campus WesFest program strives to provide: a firsthand look at life on campus, opportunities in and out of the classroom, and, of course, a chance for admitted students and family members to pose any outstanding questions they have…

Despite graduating from Wesleyan with degrees in fields such as economics or psychology, several Wes alumni went on to pursue jobs in sports and athletics. While some became professional athletes on nationally-recognized teams, others delved into coaching, refereeing, sports reporting, and team management. In this "Best of Wes" article, read about Wes alumni who turned their love of the game into a lifelong passion and career. We'll include another Alumni in Sports feature next week! (Interested in other Wesleyan-themed lists? Check out our previous “Best of Wes” pieces.) In March 2020, Rob King ’84 was named vice president and editor-at-large…

Norman Shapiro, Distinguished Professor of Literary Translation and Poet in Residence, formerly professor of romance languages and literatures, died April 3 at the age of 89. Shapiro arrived at Wesleyan in 1960 after receiving his BA and MA from Harvard University, completing a Fulbright Fellowship at Université d'Aix-Marseille in France, and returning to Harvard for his PhD. He stepped down from regular duties in 2017 but continued in his roles as Distinguished Professor of Literary Translation and Poet in Residence. In addition to his classes in Romance languages and literatures, Shapiro also taught American Sign Language and served as the…

When Wesleyan parents and alumni in China learned how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting the Wesleyan community, dozens worked together to raise funds and send much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to campus. To date, the Wesleyan Chinese Parent Committee, made up of more than 70 families, has already raised $29,000 to support Wesleyan's Emergency Fund for Students, and combined, has donated more than 400 disposable gloves and 800 masks (N95 and surgical). Approximately 500 masks are being used by staff from the Davison Health Center, Physical Plant, WesStation's mailroom, the Information Technology Services Help Desk and Public Safety. "The parent…

Raynor’s Study on Fishery Economics Published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research

Forney ’89 Creates Comical Handwashing Illustration

Students Discuss Wesleyan’s Sustainability Efforts during Earth Month

Best of Wes: Alumni in Sports II

Ngodup ’20, Joshi ’20, Khun ’20 Inducted Into ASBMB Honor Society

Wesleyan Investment Group Takes 1st Place in Adirondack Cup

Stewart Holds Annual Earth Day Rant on “Bending the Curves”

Vizgan ’21 Honored with Chambliss Medal by American Astronomical Society

Admission Hosts Virtual WesFest Throughout April

Best of Wes: Alumni in Sports

Shapiro Remembered for “Magnificent Translations,” Witticisms

Parents, Alumni in China Donate Masks to Wesleyan, Local Community