Olivia Drake – Page 3

Scientists have already discovered more than 3,500 exoplanetary systems (planets orbiting around stars) in the universe, with the number continually expanding. By using Wesleyan's new 24-inch telescope, Kyle McGregor '24 is on the hunt for more, specifically systems involving two planets. To find them, he measures the light from stars over time, noting that the light will decrease when an exoplanet passes in front of a star, blocking the radiated light to Earth. "The measuring of this change in light, known as the 'transit method,' allows us to detect the presence of these distant worlds and to study their properties,"…

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: In The New Yorker, screenwriter, director, and actor Mike White '92 discusses his latest work, money and status, and his time on Survivor. "Instead of just focusing on one couple’s honeymoon, I constellated [the new show The White Lotus] with many people grappling with ideas about money," he says. "Who has the money can really create the dynamic of a relationship, the relationship itself, the sense of…

Political scientist Ben Oppenheim ’02 thinks it's only a matter of time. "There's this idea circulating that pandemics are a 'once in a century' problem because the 1918 flu happened about a century before COVID-19. But that's just a random quirk," Oppenheim said. "The next one could be next week. Or next month." A College of Social Studies major at Wesleyan, Oppenheim is currently vice president of product, policy, and partnerships at Metabiota, a business providing data-driven insights to help organizations manage infectious disease risk. Through epidemiological modeling, Oppenheim and his colleagues are able to estimate the frequency and severity of…

For a truly sustainable future, Class of 2016 alumni Kotaro Aoki and Kota Uno believe it's crucial to teach people how to view—and properly "use"— nature. "Education is the most important piece in solving the root cause of climate change and environmental problems," Aoki said. "If we don't change our mindset, the same problem continues to rise no matter how drastic changes on the surface are." After reuniting recently in Fukushima, Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, Aoki, a philosophy major, and Uno, a College of Social Studies major, discovered a shared interest in climate change. They agreed that they needed…

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States In 1932, wheelchair-bound Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first (and only) United States president to hold the top office with a severe disability. While the public was well aware of his paralysis, Roosevelt never let his illness hinder…

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: On ABC News via the Associated Press, Alex Dupuy, John E. Andrus Professor Emeritus of Sociology, suggests Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph is likely to lead Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Dupuy also notes that the situation in Haiti is "dangerous and volatile," with Haiti’s police force already grappling with a recent spike in violence in Port-au-Prince that has displaced more than 14,700 people.…

So long are the days of slipping out the back door of a party to avoid confrontation with a date gone bad. Through social media, one can easily "ghost"— that is, cut off all communication without giving a reason. In a new qualitative study titled "Disappearing in the Age of Hypervisibility: Definition, Context, and Perceived Psychological Consequences of Social Media Ghosting," lead researcher Royette Dubar, assistant professor of psychology, and her former master's student Jhanelle Oneika Thomas '18, MA '19 investigated both the motives and psychological consequences of the act of ghosting. Dubar and Thomas discovered that this modern-age disappearing…

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: June 24 Marketing Technology Insights — ADEC Innovations Appoints New Executive To Lead Company In Their Next Phase Of Growth And Development. Features Sondra Scott '88, chief executive officer for ADEC Innovations U.S. and Europe. The Middletown Press — Connecticut State Colleges and Universities to require the COVID-19 vaccine for students this fall. Mentions that Wesleyan University "was among the first in the state to require the…

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When launching spacecrafts and missiles, small navigational mistakes could lead to catastrophic results. A satellite could spin completely out of orbit, a missile could mistakenly strike a civilian territory, or a spaceship could end up at another planet altogether. Three Wesleyan researchers are collaborating on the development of a novel sensor that would benefit navigation and several other applications. The new, hypersensitive acceleration sensor is based on a principle borrowed from nuclear physics and has been developed at Wesleyan. It provides enhanced sensitivity and precision compared to conventional sensors. "Our underlying concept can be applied in a variety of sensing…

Jasmyn Choi '22 vividly recalls when her Korean-born mother was pulled over by police in Los Angeles 12 years ago. Rather than speaking to the driver, who had broken English, the officer leaned into the vehicle to question 8-year-old Jasmyn instead. Jasmyn, after all, had "perfect" English. "I’ve always dealt with the particular trauma of strangers diminishing my mother’s intelligence because of her accent," Choi recalls. "I tremble in anger thinking of the times she’s had her voice stolen from her. We both sat in the car in oppressive silence, yet it was comforting because silence is all we have…

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: June 8 Marketing Technology Insights — ADEC Innovations Appoints New Executive To Lead Company In Their Next Phase Of Growth And Development. Features Sondra Scott '88, chief executive officer for ADEC Innovations U.S. and Europe. June 9 The New York Times — 3 Art Gallery Shows to See Right Now. Features installations by Cameron Rowland '11. Shondaland — Love and the Burning West: She nearly died while…

Students Study Exoplanets, Bird Viruses, Chinese Immigration, Bacteria during the Summer

Wesleyan in the News

In Nature, Oppenheim ’02 Outlines the Importance of Creating an Intergovernmental Panel on Pandemic Risk

Alumni Create Environment-Focused Summer School for Youth in Japan

FDR Memorial by Bergmann ’76 Is a Tribute to Overcoming Physical Barriers

Wesleyan in the News

Dubar, Thomas ’18, MA ’19 Explore the Psychological Effects of Social Media Ghosting

Wesleyan in the News

Students Begin Harvesting, Selling Produce at Long Lane Farm

Faculty Collaborate on New, Patent-Pending, Hypersensitive Accelerometer

Shu Tokita Prize Winners Reid ’22, Choi ’22 Use Literature to Cope with POC Experiences

Wesleyan in the News