All News – Page 197

Barbara Fields, professor of history at Columbia University, will deliver the third annual Richard Slotkin American Studies Lecture Series from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Feb. 17 in Russell House. Fields' lecture will draw on the intellectually transformative book she published with her sister, Karen Elise Fields, titled Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life (Verso, 2012). "Her lecture—her thinking about how the forms of racecraft and how racecraft is pulled off—could not be more timely and urgent," said Joel Pfister, the Olin Professor of American Studies and English, chair of the American Studies Department. “Her work on the category of ‘race’ offers…

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Chabad at Wesleyan, an organization dedicated to allowing students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their Jewish heritage, hosted a Challah braiding event on Feb. 6 in Usdan University Center. Students from all religious and spiritual beliefs were welcome. While there are a few explanations to the importance of braiding Challah, the three braids are thought to be in accordance with the commands that appear in the Ten Commandments: one for “Zachor,” remember; another for “Shamor,” guard; and the third, “b’Dibbur Echad,” which represents the words “guard” and “remember” together as one unit. Rabbi Levi Schectman coordinated the event and leads…

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Laura Paul became the Interim Director of the Center for the Arts on Feb. 1. She will work alongside the current director Pamela Tatge until April 1. Paul comes to Wesleyan with three decades of experience in nonprofit arts management. Most recently she was Chief Operating Officer of the Boston-based New England Foundation for the Arts, where she was a member of the senior leadership team from 2001-2015. Previously she served as managing director of the Colorado Dance Festival and Concert Dance Company of Boston. She holds an AB from Vassar College and an MBA from the School of Management…

Wesleyan will present the first-ever creative writing specialization on the Coursera platform, beginning Feb. 9. Taught by four award-winning authors, the specialization is open to anyone with a love of reading or a drive to invent a story or tell their own. Titled “Creative Writing: The Craft of Story,” the specialization will include four courses, plus a capstone.

An exhibition titled "Passion and Power: German Prints in the Age of Dürer" is on display in the Davison Art Center through March 3. The show opened Feb. 4. (more…)

Professor Francis Starr, graduate student Hamad Emamy and collaborators from the Brookhaven National Lab have co-authored a paper titled "Diamond Family of Nanoparticle Superlattices" published in the prestigious journal Science on Feb. 5. Starr is professor of physics and director of the College of Integrative Sciences. Their work proposed a solution to a decades-long challenge to self-assemble a diamond-structured lattice at will from nanoscale particles. "Such a diamond-lattice structure has long been sought after due to its potential applications as a light controlling device, including optical transistors, color-changing materials, and optical — as opposed to electronic — computing," Starr said. To solve this challenge,…

During Winter Storm Lexi on Feb. 5, campus received more than 6 inches of snow. In blizzard-like conditions, students still enjoyed the winter weather and attended classes. Photos of the storm are below and in this Wesleyan Facebook gallery. (more…)

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On Feb. 2, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joyce Jacobsen announced that Wesleyan has hired eight new tenure-track faculty in fields including African American studies, sociology and physics, among others. Wesleyan also made a senior hire, which will be announced later this semester after a successful tenure review, Jacobsen said. Nine other faculty searches are ongoing and will hopefully be completed this spring. “With 18 searches going on, we will likely have a larger than usual group of new faculty coming to campus next fall,” said Jacobsen. “We’re excited to welcome this accomplished and diverse group of scholar-teachers.” Brief…

At a time when many are decrying the demise of liberal arts colleges, Wesleyan has received its largest application pool ever for the Class of 2020. As of Feb. 1, 12,026 students had applied, marking a 22 percent increase over the previous year and a 10 percent increase over the previous all-time high three years ago for the Class of 2017. “We’re very pleased by not only the sheer number of students who can see themselves at Wesleyan—amongst the highest of any liberal arts college—but also by the highly talented and diverse nature of the applicant pool,” said President Michael Roth. “I’d like…

Inequality, Concept of Race Topics of American Studies Lecture

Makri Delivers Graduate Student Talk on Reflective Photonic Limiters

Chabad at Wesleyan Group Teaches Challah Braiding

History Matters Series Focuses on American Political Primaries

Paul Interim Director of CFA

Wesleyan Launches First-Ever Creative Writing Specialization on Coursera

13 Students Curate German Prints Exhibit at Davison Art Center

Starr’s Nanoparticle Research Published in Science

Winter Wonderland at Wesleyan

Environmental Justice Topic of MLK Commemoration

Wesleyan Hires 8 New Tenure-Track Faculty

Wesleyan Receives Record Number of Applications for Class of 2020