Ben CohenSeptember 15, 20112min
Most Wesleyan student-athletes spend their summers training for the upcoming season, but this past July, women’s lacrosse standout Emma Daniels ’13 took it a step further. Daniels, a College of Letters major, was one of 28 students selected for Beyond Study Abroad, a program that “aims to connect the world through sports,” according to its mission statement. She spent six weeks in Costa Rica taking courses, training and introducing local youths to the sport of lacrosse. “I went down because I had to go abroad for COL, and summer was the only option because I wanted it to be a…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20112min
Want to stay up to date on Wesleyan campus life, events and student and faculty news? The university offers several ways to stay connected to all-things-Wes. The Wesleyan Connection online newsletter, which you're reading right now, is an image-rich news-piece e-mailed to Wesleyan's faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni about twice a month. It highlights faculty and student research, Wesleyan staff members, faculty publications, grants and achievements and recent events. The editors welcome story ideas. The newsletter is online here. The Wesleyan Connection isn't to be confused with Wesconnect the online community for Wesleyan alumni. Wesconnect is the best source of information…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20112min
This fall, the Academic (Technology) Roundtable meetings will include talks on new library subject research guides, counseling and psychological services, tools to manage digital workflow, grant writing, course design and more. The weekly A(T)R meetings aim to promote conversation, cooperation, and the sharing of information and resources among Wesleyan’s faculty and staff. The event is sponsored by the Center for Faculty Career Development, and is co-sponsored with Olin Library and Information Technology Services. A(T)Rs are held at noon in the Develin Room of Olin Library, and a buffet lunch will be served. Sean McCann, director of the Center for Faculty Career Development, moderates…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20112min
Wesleyan will present two traveling exhibits this fall. The Davison Art Center gallery will host Excavations: The Prints of Julie Mehretu, Sept. 16-Dec. 11. Mehretu is best known for her large-scale paintings and drawings, which layer maps, urban planning grids and architectural renderings with whorls of abstract markings and bright shapes of color. This the first-ever comprehensive exhibition of prints produced by the artist thus far in her career. A gallery talk is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5 with Cole Rogers, artistic director and Master Printer at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking. Rogers will speak on his experience working with…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20112min
After 37 years at Wesleyan, John Biddiscombe, director of athletics and chair of the Physical Education Department, is retiring at the end of this academic year. Biddiscombe came to Wesleyan in 1974 as a three-sport coach of football, wrestling, and track and field. He was head coach of wrestling from 1974 to 1989 with a won-loss record of 128-85-3, and in 1984 the team won the New England championship. He was voted New England wrestling coach of the year in 1984 and 1989, and was inducted into the New England Collegiate Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. As director of athletics,…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20113min
[youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49QKAlwdq8s[/youtube] Q: Mary, what is your class year, and what are you majoring in? A: I'm a junior, and I'm double-majoring in neuroscience and behavior and English. Q: You’re currently working in the lab of Jan Naegele, professor of neuroscience and behavior, professor of biology. Can you tell us a bit about your research in the Naegele Lab? A: The Naegele Lab studies temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which involves instances of elevated electrical activity in the brain called seizures. In cases where medication does not alleviate seizures, TLE patients experience cell death and damage in the dentate gyrus,…

Bill HolderSeptember 15, 20111min
Timothy Shiner has been appointed the director of university events and scheduling. He will continue to maintain the New Student Orientation program. Shiner came to Wesleyan in 2006,  initially as the director of student activities and leadership development. He quickly transformed the student activities office into an efficient and streamlined department that worked closely with the events and scheduling office. Recognizing his talent for organization, Shiner was asked to lead the New Student Orientation program in 2007. Elisa Del Valle will become the associate director of student activities and leadership development. Del Valle joined the student activities and leadership development team…

Cynthia RockwellSeptember 15, 20112min
Life During Wartime, an exhibition by New York-based artist Melissa Stern ’80, opens Friday, Sept. 16, with a reception at the Barbara Archer Gallery in Atlanta, Ga. A collection of new work by Stern, Life During Wartime explores 1940s America as seen from a contemporary vantage point, using collage materials from that era, as well original drawings. The exhibition continues through Oct. 29. In an article for NY Arts, Stern wrote: “Images of the 1940s have long played a subtle but important role in my artwork. My father was a World War II veteran, along with most of the other…

Cynthia RockwellSeptember 15, 20112min
Rebecca Sender ’85 was appointed deputy director for finance and administration for The Yale Center for British Art. She comes to the Center from the Princeton University Art Museum, where she served as associate director for the last decade; she was also its acting director from January 2008 to June 2010. At Yale, she will manage the operating budget for the Center for British Art, as well as oversee the institution’s security, facilities and operations, human resources, Information Technology and the Museum Shop. She also will manage the institution’s emergency plan and will work with the center’s partner institution, the…