Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20082min
Q: Cathy, when did you come to Wesleyan? What office did you start in? A: I started in 1981 in the Alumni Relations Office. Then I transferred to a joint position in the Science in Society Program/Health Education, then the College of Social Studies, and then in 1991 to the Psychology Department. Q: Do you have a personal interest in psychology or has your interest peaked since you started working with psychologists? A: My interest in psychology could never peak. I’ve always been curious how the mind works. The field is fascinating. It goes beyond textbooks. The faculty are amazing and…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min
An editorial written by Gina Ulysse, associate professor of anthropology and African American studies, was published in The Hartford Courant on Oct. 26. The editorial, titled "Michelle Obama: An Exceptional Model," is online here. Ulyssee writes "Recently, interviewer Larry King tried his best to get a rise out of Michelle Obama. Her responses remained cool, collected and focused. She defied the angry black woman stereotype. She was forthright, intelligent, impeccably stylish and obviously happy. With these characteristics, Michelle creates discomfort in many because she raises fundamental questions about society's fixation with categories and how we understand our place within the…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min
As part of the reorganization of the Office of University Communications, formerly the Office of Public Affairs, three staff members' roles have changed to directly support the department's mission and priorities. Mark Bailey, formerly director of development communications, is now director of strategic communications. His responsibilities are for university brand and messaging; strategic initiatives to communicate Wesleyan advantages; and marketing communications integration across media. Adrian Cooke, formerly web administrator, is now associate director of web technology. In this role, Cooke is the web technologist for University Communications and University Relations and principal contact for University Communications’ web initiatives. With Information…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min
Dana Royer, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, contributed to an important study on the dangerous levels of Carbon Dioxide on the planet. He is featured in a Nov. 6 issue of Health News Digest. According to the article, if climate disasters are to be averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) must be reduced below the levels that already exist today. The model, created by Royer and nine other scientists from the U.S., the U.K. and France, suggests “the only realistic way to sharply curtail CO2 emissions is phase out coal use except where CO2 is captured and sequestered.” According…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min
Ruth Striegel-Moore, the Walter A. Crowell University Professor of the Social Sciences, professor and chair of psychology, is the recipient of the New England Psychological Association’s (NEPA) Distinguished Contribution Award. She delivered the Distinguished Contribution Award Lecture titled “Reducing the Burden of Suffering from Eating Disorders” during the 48th Annual Meeting of the organization at Western New England College, Springfield, Mass. on Oct. 25. The award honors psychologists with current or prior association with New England who have distinguished themselves by advancing the science of psychology; used psychology to advance individual and/or community well-being through service; are conducting a program…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min
Jorge Arévalo Mateus, a Ph.D candidate in ethnomusicology, received a 2008 American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers Deems Taylor Award on Oct. 20. Mateus was honored for his liner notes for The Live Wire: Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949, released by Woody Guthrie Publications. Mateus and fellow winners will be honored at a special reception at the The Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York, N.Y. Dec. 9. Established in 1914, the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min
Norman Shapiro, professor of romance languages and literatures, received the Lewis Galantière Award, given biennially by the American Translators Association (ATA) for a distinguished book-length literary translation into English. Shapiro was honored for his volume of critically-praised verse translations, The Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine (Illinois, 2008). The wisdom, wit, and elegance of La Fontaine (1621-1695), the preeminent fable-writer since Aesop, made him the universally admired master of the genre. This prestigious award honors one of the ATA's founding members, Lewis Galantière (1894-1977), celebrated for his translations from French drama, fiction, and poetry during the middle decades of…

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20082min
Dan Lachman '09 was featured in an a Oct. 12 Washington Post article titled Making it: A college student takes aim at his future by starting a profitable clothing business". Lachman, 21, started his company, Sharp Shirter, in 2005. He creates clothing designs and laptop skins. According to the article, "after college, Dan plans to move to Philadelphia and continue expanding Sharp Shirter while perhaps working for a start-up company that's further along so he can learn more about running a business. Ultimately, he wants to run Sharp Shirter online from South Africa, where his father was born and where…