Olivia DrakeIshita Mukerji, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, received a $798,368 grant from the National Science Foundation for her project "Structure and Function of Holliday Junctions complexed With Proteins Probed by Fluorescence and UV Raman Spectroscopic Methods." The grant is a continuing grant which has been approved on scientific / technical merit for approximately four years. The grant will be awarded April 1.
David PesciGary Yohe, Sysco-Woodhouse Professor of Economics, is co-author of a new report issued by the United Nation's Internation Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that discusses the rapidly increasing risks of global warming. A story in Scientific American summarizes the article and quotes Yohe, an economist who studies climate change with regards to its inherent risks.
Sean McCann, professor or English, director, Center for Career Development, has an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal discussing the artistic bounty generated during the Great Depression in literature and film that hinged on issues of class differences and thwarted social mobility. McCann wonders if the current economic conditions will yield a similar outpouring from authors and film-makers.
In November, 2008, when all the first round early decision applications were in, the Wesleyan admissions’ staff knew the initial numbers were not a fluke. Applications from high school students seeking admission during the first early decision period at Wesleyan were up 34 percent from the previous year, 2007. Still, the admissions staff maintained cautious enthusiasm. “We were elated, but we also remained a bit guarded because, quite frankly, we didn’t know if the early decision increase would be followed by a decrease in overall applications, especially with the economy taking such a dramatic downturn,” says Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, dean…
In a Reuters article, Richard Grossman, chair and professor of economics, discusses at length the declaration of bankruptcy of the 150 year-old Lehman Brothers Holding Inc., and why that event marked a major turning point in American economic history.
Jeanine Basinger, chair and Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies, discussed with CNN how the recession may be reflected in the content of upcoming films.
"Stan's Cafe: Of All the People in All the World, USA," is a installation and performance art exhibit that uses grains of rice to bring various comparative statistical data to life. The piece is part of the Feet to the Fire project and was recently profiled on WFSB 3 TV. It runs from Feb. 20 until March 3 at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery.
First year men's head basketball coach Joe Reilly was profiled on NBC Channel 30. He speaks about the academic and athletc rigors at Wesleyan, and about carrying on the same profession as his father and brother.
As a former U.S. Army sergeant, Max Krafft ’09 has a lot to say about his two stints serving in Iraq. The English major was deployed in December 2005, and again in January 2007. On both occasions he was touring as the bass player and sound engineer for a rock/pop/country/R&B ensemble affiliated with the 389th Army Band. "We were there to perform for the members of the military and government contractors who were stationed there during the holidays in an attempt to entertain them and boost their morale," Krafft explains, regarding his role overseas. Krafft, who lived and worked within 300…
About 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, the ground around Mount Redoubt has begun to shake and a smell akin to rotten eggs tinges the air. The last time this happened the 10,197-foot volcano erupted for five months, venting hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide gas and spewing ash into the air. Professor Johan Varekamp remembers it well. He was among scientists who analyzed the direct effects of the 1989-1990 eruption. The ash he examined was ejected more than 40,000 feet into the sky; the resulting ashfall covered nearly 8,000 square miles of the surrounding landscape. “As is often quoted in…
Corrina KerrThirty years ago, the United States opened its first embassy in the People’s Republic of China as our nation began reestablishing its relations with the country. Vera Schwarcz, professor of history and East Asian studies and director of the Freeman Center, remembers the events well. After all, she was part of them. Schwarcz, an expert on Chinese culture, politics and literature, was one of only seven official exchange scholars invited to visit China in February 1979 when the embassy opened. Her recollections of this time, and her subsequent 30 years of experiences studying in and about China, served as the…
In the sparsely populated, mountainous region of Ladakh, India, elderly Buddhist nuns are suffering from isolation, illiteracy and lack of respect from their communities. These women, who spent their lives serving their family or working as laborers, have rarely had the opportunity to become ordained or to worship in a monastery like the highly regarded male monks. "These women have been devalued from the beginning," says Jan Willis, professor of religion, professor of East Asian studies. "All they've ever wanted to do is serve the dharma and study, but instead, they've become servants of their community, or helpers for the…