Olivia Drake – Page 38

Wesleyan celebrated Homecoming/Family Weekend Nov. 1–3. The Wesleyan Cardinals won their 2019 Homecoming game 27 to 21 against Williams College on Nov. 2. Attendees attended WESeminars, tailgating festivities, music and art events, multiple athletic contests, the 27th Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium, the annual parents' assembly, and much more. View the entire Homecoming/Family Weekend photo album online here. View video highlights below:

In honor of Halloween, several offices created or carved decorative pumpkins. Usdan University Center hosted its 11th annual Usdan Pumpkin Contest with Public Safety, Residential Life, Events and Conferences, Cardinal Tech, Usdan Operations, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, and Student Leadership and Development (SALD) and Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) Office participating. SALD/WSA Office won the contest with its Dia de los muertos pumpkin. The Office of University Communications carved and painted pumpkins and displayed them in offices in South College and Exley Science Center. Photos below: (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)

More than 40 Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholars gathered for their annual group photos and dinner on Oct. 27. The Freeman Asian Scholarship Program provides expenses for a four-year course of study toward a bachelor’s degree for up to 11 exceptionally able students annually from these countries and regions: the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The program was established in 1994–95 and supported scholars for 20 years through the generosity of the Freeman family—Mansfield Freeman ’16, P’43, Hon. ’79; Houghton Freeman ’43, P’77, Hon. ’93; Doreen Freeman P’77,…

Students taking the CCIV/ARCP 153: Single Combat in the Ancient World course learned how to cast their own bronze sword and arrowhead during class on Oct. 24. The process is a modern-day method of how weapons would have been crafted during the Late Bronze Age (3000 to 1200 BC). The two-hour workshop was taught by Connecticut bladesmiths Barbara Wechter of Wechter Arms and Matt Berry of Hopkins Forge. Berry is a former contestant on History Channel's "Forged in Fire." While Berry heated molten bronze (copper and tin) to 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit, Wechter demonstrated how to build a mold from oil-based…

A paper written by Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Rich Olson and his former students was designated as an "Editor's Pick" by the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Only 2% of the approximately 6,600 papers published each year in the journal receive this designation. Titled "The 1.9 Å crystal structure of the extracellular matrix protein Bap1 from Vibrio cholerae provides insights into bacterial biofilm adhesion," the paper, published on Oct. 4, explores how bacteria "glues" itself to surfaces in the environment. The co-authors include Alison Biester '19, Ethan Chupp '18, Jianyi Lu '17, Charlie Visudharomn '17 and Katherine Kaus PhD…

By grounding oneself in the present moment, mindfulness can help create a free, calm, and content space without any judgment. Tyla Taylor '21, the mindfulness intern for Wesleyan's Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, is working to share the practice of mindfulness with the campus community and beyond. "Our minds are often going at full speed planning the next move, and the one after that," Taylor said. "For me, mindfulness is paying attention to whatever is happening in the present moment, with compassion and non-judgment. From my own practice, I've seen how it's made me a kinder friend, a more…

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On Oct. 16, Richard Grossman, chair and professor of economics, discussed the latest unemployment numbers and current state of the economy with Todd Feinburg at WTIC in Hartford. This month, the national unemployment rate has fallen to a new low—3.5%. "Historically, and certainly for the last 10 years, the number peaked at 10% after the financial crisis, and it's been working its way down ever since," Grossman said. "That doesn't mean all is wonderful if you're in the labor force. There's a lot of other things going on ... people working part-time who would like to be working full-time ...…

On Oct. 3, Christiaan Hogendorn, associate professor of economics, presented a paper titled "Unequal Growth in Local Wages: Rail versus Internet Infrastructure" for the City College of New York's Economics Department. David Schwartz ’17 co-authored the paper. And on Oct. 12, Hogendorn presented a paper titled "The Long Tail of Online News Visits” at the 17th Media Economics Workshop in Braga, Portugal. The paper was co-authored by Hengyi Zhu ’15 and Lisa George of Hunter College. He also served as a discussant for a panel on Network-Mediated Knowledge Spillovers in ICT/Information Security.

On Oct. 17, the Wesleyan Weather Station recorded a dramatic drop in atmospheric (barometric) pressure—a drop so severe it compared to one from Hurricane Sandy in November 2012. Between 2 a.m. on Oct. 16 and 2 a.m. on Oct. 17, the pressure dropped from 1020 to 980 millibars, resulting in what meteorologists refer to as bombogenesis or a "bomb cyclone." Bomb cyclones are defined by a drop of more than 24 millibars of pressure over less than 24 hours, and here, the pressure dropped 40 millibars. During Hurricane Sandy the pressure also dropped to 980 millibars. "We've looked through the…

Elan Abrell, a fellow in animal studies and philosophy, will be a panelist at 92nd Street Y’s first-ever Food Summit on Nov. 9. The Summit will explore the future of what and how we eat and will include some of the most dynamic and influential figures in the culinary world. Guests will discuss how food brings us together, the future of cookbook publishing, mental health in the food industry, how immigrant chefs continue to transform American cuisine, and much more. Abrell's panel will focus on the topic of "Meat: The Future." He will join experts from the fields of anthropology,…

Wesleyan's 43rd Navaratri Festival, held Oct. 10-14, celebrated traditional Indian music and dance. 2019 Navaratri Festival events included: A colloquium focusing on "Re-sounding Islam—Marking Religious and Aesthetic Pluralism in the Historiography of South Indian Music." The Saraswati Puja (Hindu ceremony), where audience members bring instruments, manuscripts, and other items for blessing. "The Sarod Trilogy" by Amjad Ali Khan. The Bhojanam (feast) featuring vegetarian Indian delicacies. "The Courtesan Dance" from South India by guest performer Yashoda Thakore. "Vocal Music of South India" by vocalist and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music B. Balasubrahmaniyan and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music David Nelson on…

Football Victory Highlight of Homecoming/Family Weekend

Halloween Celebrated with Parade, Decorative Pumpkin Displays

Freeman Scholars Gather for Group Photos, Dinner

Classics/Archaeology Class Learns about Ancient Bronze Casting from Local Bladesmiths

Paper on Bacteria Adhesion Named “Editor’s Pick” by Journal of Biological Chemistry

Taylor ’21 Speaks to Choate Juniors on the Importance of Mindfulness

Fall is in the Air

Grossman Discusses Latest Unemployment Trends on WTIC Radio

Hogendorn Presents Economics Papers in New York and Portugal

“Bomb Cyclone” Strikes Campus on Oct. 17, Causing Extremely Low Pressure, High Winds

Abrell to Speak on the Future of Meat During 92nd Street Y’s Inaugural Food Summit

Indian Sarod Master Performs at Wesleyan’s 43rd Annual Navaratri Festival