All News – Page 186

An all-star committee of Wesleyan University alumni, chaired by Hamilton writer/creator and former star Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, Hon. ‘15 and director Thomas Kail ’99, has selected the recipient of the inaugural Wesleyan University Hamilton Prize for Creativity: Audrey Pratt of Needham, Mass. Pratt's submission, a short piece of fiction titled, "Thorns, Black and White," was selected from among more than 600 entries. Pratt will receive a four-year full-tuition scholarship to Wesleyan, worth as much as $200,000. “The selection committee was blown away by the range and quality of the submissions we reviewed,” Miranda said. “Audrey's story stood out as exceptional, but all of the…

This month, Wesleyan's Green Street Teaching and Learning Center received an $8,000 grant from the Petit Family Foundation to support the 2017 Green Street Girls in Science Summer Camp. The Girls in Science Summer Camp is open to all children going into grades 4, 5 and 6. Children perform experiments and explore chemistry, electronics and physics with Wesleyan faculty. Campers will meet college student mentors, learn about science careers, create scientific posters, and share what they learn with family and friends at a Science Showcase. The camp will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Aug. 7-11 at…

From April 27-30 the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences hosted the 30th Annual Keck Geology Consortium Symposium at Wesleyan. The event involved several field trips to local sites of geographic significance and concluded with presentations at Exley Science Center from those who attended the field trips. The first trip was led by Paul Olsen, the Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. This excursion examined the Connecticut River Valley Basin for remaining traces of the mass extinction that preceded the rise of the dinosaurs 202 million years ago. "The Connecticut River Valley Basin is one…

Emma Porrazzo ’19 has received a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Chinese in Suzhou, China this summer. According to the CLS program website, the scholarship is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. “CLS scholars gain critical language and cultural skills that enable them to contribute to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.” Porrazzo is among approximately 550 American students at U.S. colleges and universities to receive the scholarship this year. “Critical languages” are defined as those that are less commonly taught in U.S.…

In March, during Wesleyan's spring break, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Michael McAlear took a trip to visit and catch up with three alumni whom he’d known when they were undergraduates, just beginning the nonprofits for which they are now known. McAlear doesn’t see them often: they live and work in Africa. All three had received Wesleyan's Christopher Brodigan Award in their senior year, for research or work in Africa. McAlear’s first stop was in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya, and home of SHOFCO, Shining Hope for Community, the nonprofit begun by Jessica ’09 and Kennedy ’12 Odede. Linking…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Vashti DuBois ’83 is the founder and executive director of the Colored Girls Museum, a memoir museum honoring the stories and histories of black women. Located in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, Dubois created the space in September 2015 to rectify the continual neglect of black women’s experiences and labor. Featuring artifacts pertaining to the herstory of Colored Girls, the museum respects these objects as containing both personal and historical significance. It acts as an exhibition space as well as a place to research, gather and heal. As reported in the Chestnut Hill Local, Dubois first visualized…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer '91 is the producer and director of Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, a new documentary about author and activist Jane Jacobs. Most famous for her influence on urban studies and urban planning, Jacobs’s legacy will be playing out on screens in nearly 20 cities across the country. The documentary film chronicles her rise as a critical voice and visionary during the urbanization movement of the 1960s. Fighting to preserve urban communities against the threat of destructive redevelopment projects, Jacobs did much to influence modern understandings of urban environments and the American city.…

The West African Drumming and Dance Concert was held May 12 in the Center for the Arts Green. The event featured master drummer and visiting artist in residence Attah Poku and choreographer and artist in residence Iddi Saaka, joined by their 72 students, guest artists and 16 student drummers. This annual performance showcases the vibrancy of West African cultures through music and dance forms. On March 6, 2017, Ghana celebrated its 60th independence anniversary from British colonial rule. This spring’s West African Drumming and Dance concert was held in honor of the anniversary. Apart from the usual traditional dances, students also dressed…

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On May 12, the campus community expressed its solidarity with Wesleyan's Muslim community during a day-long event titled Common Ground. Common Ground began with a prayer (jumaa) on Andrus Field where non-Muslims and Muslims were invited to pray together or to bear silent witness. After a short ceremony, the community gathered to share Islamic Hallal pizza. Participants also attended presentations on the history of Muslim-non-Muslim friendship and solidarity around the world, including Jewish-Muslim relations in early modern Africa. Davison Art Center presented an open house to exhibit two recently acquired works that illustrate the Egyptian ”Arab Spring." “Common Ground” was co-sponsored…

On May 11, Wesleyan President Michael Roth writes in The Wall Street Journal about the need for colleges and universities to proactively cultivate intellectual diversity on campus. While student protests over controversial speakers have dominated headlines of late, he writes: The issue, however, isn’t whether the occasional conservative, libertarian or religious speaker gets a chance to speak. That is tolerance, an appeal to civility and fairness, but it doesn’t take us far enough. To create deeper intellectual and political diversity, we need an affirmative-action program for the full range of conservative ideas and traditions, because on too many of our campuses they seldom…

Wesleyan students celebrated the end of the 2016-17 academic year during the annual Spring Fling, held May 11 on Foss Hill. Music acts included student band Chef, Sonny Digital, hip-hop artists Rapsody, garage rock band The Orwells, and headliner rapper Vic Mensa. Classes ended May 10. The event is organized by Wesleyan's Spring Fling Committee and the Office of Student Activities. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)

Wesleyan Awards Hamilton Prize for Creativity to Incoming First-Year Student

Petit Foundation Supports Girls in Science Summer Camp

Wesleyan Hosts 30th Annual Keck Geology Consortium Symposium

Porrazzo ’19 to Study in China as Critical Language Scholar

McAlear Visits Former Students Odede ’09, ’12, and Perel-Slater ’11 at Non-Profits in Africa

DuBois ’83 Directs Museum Honoring Girls of Color

Tyrnauer ’91 Creates Film About Urban Activist Jane Jacobs

West African Drumming, Dance Concert Honors Ghana’s Independence

Students Showcase Research at Visualizing Knowledge Exhibition

Muslim Community Honored at Common Ground Event

President Roth Calls on Universities to Promote Intellectual Diversity

Students Celebrate End of Classes at Spring Fling