Lauren RubensteinAssistant Professor Courtney Weiss Smith is finishing up her first year in the English Department, where she shares with students her enthusiasm for 18th century English poetry, literature and culture. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Smith earned a B.A. from the University of Dayton and received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. She originally intended to study the 19th Century novel in graduate school, but became increasingly drawn to earlier literature of the 17th and 18th Centuries. “I was curious where these 19th Century novels came from,” Smith remarks. “I became fascinated by the novelistic…
Olivia DrakeThe following Wesleyan faculty members retired in May 2012: John Biddiscombe Director of Athletics (1988–2012) Adjunct Professor of Physical Education (1985–2012) Adjunct Associate Professor of Physical Education (1978–1985) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physical Education (1974–1978) M.Ed., Slippery Rock University Joseph Bruno Professor of Chemistry (1996–2012) Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (2006–2010) Associate Professor of Chemistry (1991–1996) Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1984–1991) Ph.D., Northwestern University Howard Needler Professor of Letters (1981–2012) Associate Professor of Letters (1973–1981) Assistant Professor of Letters (1969–1973) Ph.D., Columbia University Wallace "Pete" Pringle Professor of Chemistry (1987–2011) Associate Professor of Chemistry (1975–1987) Assistant Professor of…
Cynthia RockwellShalini Shankar ’94, associate professor of anthropology, associate professor of Asian American studies at Northwestern University, was invited to appear on WTTW (the Chicago PBS station) to discuss the recent Ashton Kutcher "brownface" controversy that arose from his Popchips ad. The segment explored representations of Asian Americans and issues of race in advertising. Host Phil Ponce notes that critics of the ad think it says something about the larger issue of race in America and Shankar agrees. “I was a bit shocked when I saw the commercial. Usually brownface is not something that is used to sell potato chips and…
Benjamin TraversWesleyan alumni and their families participated in the annual Parade of Classes During Reunion & Commencement Weekend May 26. A video and photos of the event are below: [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMwcMYSdhsc[/youtube] (more…)
Bob Glasspiegel ’77, managing director and co-head of insurance research for Langen McAlenney, a division of Janney Capital Markets, was one of the Wall Street Journal's 'Best on the the Street'—number one stock analyst in the life insurance category. Recognized in eight prior surveys, he was notable this year for his pick to buy Torchmark Corp., which gave investors a 10 percent return. "What interests me is figuring out if interest rates are going to stay low and for how long," Glasspiegel told the WSJ. "I'm not ready to recommend names that depend on interest rates to go higher. I…
David LowThe prolific Paul Dickson ’61 is the author of the book Bill Veeck: Baseball Maverick (Walker Books), the first major biography of one of the most influential and smartest figures in baseball history. Dickson used primary sources, including more than 100 interviews to tell the story of Veeck (1914-1986) who was a baseball impresario, an innovator, and a staunch advocate of racial equality. Admired by baseball fans, Veeck was known for his promotional genius for the sport, while his feel for the game led him to propose innovations way ahead of their time. His deep sense of fairness helped usher…
Benno Schmidt '93, host of dLife (CNBC), the only TV series dedicated to people with diabetes, began the April 15 episode by telling his viewers, “I recently spent a week in Haiti, investigating the state of health care, particularly for those with diabetes, two years after the earthquake. I came away deeply humbled by what we found." The episode included remarks by U.N. Special Envoy and President Bill Clinton, actor and humanitarian Sean Penn, and model and humanitarian Petra Nemcova, as well as members of the new government of Haiti and physicians dedicated to treating those with diabetes in Haiti.…
Mathematical physicist Jennifer Chayes ’79 recently announced the opening of the new Microsoft Research New York City lab, which will consist of 15 researchers who previously worked at Yahoo! Research. According to The New York Times, the lab will “include well-known researchers in hot niches of computing research like Duncan Watts (online social behavior), David Pennock (prediction markets) and John Langford (machine learning).” Chayes will be the managing director of the new research lab. On the Inside Microsoft Research web site, she says: “This new lab will provide an opportunity for Microsoft Research researchers and developers worldwide to share and…
Lawrence P. Jackson ’90 is the author of My Father’s Name: A Black Virginia Family after the Civil War (University of Chicago Press). Part detective story and part wrenching family history, the book delves into the history of Jackson’s family in slavery and emancipation in Virginia’s Pittsylvania County. Johnson's publication was recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered. This summer, n+ magazine,a publication of literature, culture and politics, will include a long essay with sections from the book. Jackson’s research led him to the house of distant relations. He then became absorbed by the search for his ancestors and aware…
A new exhibition by visual artist, author, and educator Wendy Richmond ’75 opened at The Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design on May 25. "Wendy Richmond: Navigating the Personal Bubble" will be up through Nov. 4. Richmond documents and explores the ways in which digital technology creates “personal bubbles”—or mobile privacy zones, which transform the social experience of sharing public space. Museum director John Smith calls her work “surprisingly revealing of the ways in which we interact and communicate in this digital age,” and adds that the video installation, “Alone in Public (2012),” was created especially for the…
Ari Brand ’06 has received acclaim for playing the title role in My Name Is Asher Lev, a play produced by the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Conn. which completed its run on May 27. The play has been adapted by Aaron Posner from the Chaim Potok novel about a troubled, successful painter whose creative work clashes with the world of his parents. In a positive review of the production in The New York Times, Anita Gates writes: “If you are unfamiliar with the actors in the excellent new Long Wharf production of ‘My Name Is Asher Lev,’ just…
The Wesleyan Chapter of Brighter Dawns, a non-profit organization founded by Tasmiha Khan ’12, was featured on News 8 WTNH on May 11. Brighter Dawns raises funds to build latrines and wells in Bangladesh. According to the report, Brighter Dawns started when Tasmiha Khan went to a slum in Bangladesh with her family and visited a young woman living in poverty. "Her name was Usma. She was about 15 years old. Had three children. Was forced into poverty at that time," she said. Khan started doing a few things to help that family, and when she came back to the U.S. she kept helping,…