Campus News & Events

From Nov. 9-12, two faculty members and five students from the physics and chemistry departments, attended the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in Tampa, Fla. Candice Etson, assistant professor of physics, and Erika Taylor, associate professor of chemistry, were joined by McNair Scholars Luz Mendez ’17, Tatianna Pryce ’17, Stacy Uchendu ’17 and Hanna Morales ’17; and Wesleyan Mathematics and Science (WesMaSS) Scholar Helen Karimi ’19. Students observed other research being performed around the nation by students who are members of underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In addition, the Wesleyan students presented their own research and Morales and Karimi…

On Nov. 12, the Wesleyan community honored local veterans, as well as students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents who served in the military at "Salute to Service: Honoring Our Veterans." The event was held prior to Wesleyan's last football game vs. Trinity College for the “Battle of the Birds." Wesleyan treated the veterans, including Wesleyan's Posse Foundation Scholars, and their families to a brunch in Daniel Family Commons. Speakers included Wesleyan President Michael Roth; Antonio Farias, vice president for equity and inclusion; City of Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew; and veteran and Wesleyan alumnus Tim Day '59. Following the program, Wesleyan's…

On Nov. 24, dozens of low-income Middletown families will enjoy a Thanksgiving Day feast courtesy of a local food pantry and the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships at Wesleyan. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 18, four Wesleyan students, three alumni and JCCP staff are hosting Middletown Community Thanksgiving Basket Project registration at Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown. Families who sign up will receive a baked turkey and traditional fixings on Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the JCCP is hosting a Stuffing and Gravy Drive (jars or cans) from now until Nov. 18. Boxes are placed in North College, Usdan, Olin, Freeman Athletic Center and Allbritton. Wesleyan volunteers…

Five Doris Duke Conservation Scholars spent the past summer researching sustainability, environmental justice and policy, agriculture, water ecology and ecosystem productivity. As Doris Duke Scholars, Kelly Lam ’19, Gabby Vargas ’18, Emily Murphy ’18, Olivia Won ’18 and Ryan Nelson ’19 received two summer experiential learning and research opportunities at the University of Michigan and the University of Washington. They will return next summer to complete the second segment of their research program. Kelly Lam '19 conducted her research on farms and orchards in the greater Ann Arbor, Mich. area through the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment.…

On Nov. 9, Sumarsam, professor of music and puppeteer, performed his shadow-puppet play, Bima’s Quest for Enlightenment, at the Performing Indonesia: Islamic Intersections festival, presented by the Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art and George Washington University. This music, dance, and theater festival celebrates the many manifestations of Islamic culture in the island nation, which is home to more Muslims than any other country. During the festival, Sumarsam performed a condensed version of an all-night wayang puppet play, featuring only the main episodes of the story. Wayang is the Javanese word for shadow, or bayang in standard Indonesian. More than 200 people…

Masami Imai, chair and professor of economics, professor of East Asian studies, presented a paper at the 19th Annual International Banking Conference held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on Nov. 4. This year’s theme was Achieving Financial Stability: Challenges to Prudential Regulation, giving Imai the opportunity to speak on “Japan’s Regulatory Response to Banking Problems.” At the 12th Annual Workshop on Macroeconomics Research at Liberal Arts Colleges, held at Williams College in August, and at the Japanese Economic Association Meeting held at Waseda University College in Tokyo, Japan in September, Imai discussed “The Effects of Ethnic Chinese Minority on Vietnam’s Regional…

As part of the “A Vanished Port” series, Richard Grossman, professor of economics, presented a lecture titled, “How Rich Was Rich,” at the Russell Library in Middletown, Conn. on Nov. 9. The lecture came as part of a newly opened exhibit at the Middlesex County Historical Society. “A Vanished Port: Middletown and the Caribbean, 1750-1824,” takes objects and documents from the time period to illustrate the “culture of prosperity that grew from Middletown’s trade relationships with the slave-worked sugar plantations of the English Caribbean.” Using Middletown merchant, Richard Alsop, who died in 1776 with a huge estate that included property, possessions,…

Sara MacSorley, director of the Green Street Teaching and Learning Center, was invited to be a guest on iCRV radio’s "Feel Good Friday" segment in mid November. "Feel Good Friday" celebrates "good people doing good work" in the Connecticut River Valley. MacSorley was joined by the Director of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Cynthia Clegg, and local artist Jill Bulter. Bulter got connected to the Community Foundation through their Fund for Girls and ended up creating her own fund, the York Butler Fund, to support programs for kids that used the arts. Two years ago, Green Street TLC received…

As an undergraduate film studies major in the early 2000s, Michael Slowik admired how Wesleyan's film faculty emphasized "their unabashed enthusiasm for movies," the history of film and ways films impacted the audience. "These were things I closely connected with," Slowik said. Slowik, who graduated from Wesleyan in 2003 with a BA in film studies, was appointed assistant professor of film at Wesleyan this fall. His research interests include U.S. film history, film sound, film authorship and film's relationship to music and theater. "Nearly all of the film professors who were so influential to me are still at Wesleyan, so when…

Graduate student Suhail Yusuf Khan recently gave a lecture and demonstration at the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Khan’s lecture focused on the sarangi and its use in popular music contexts. Khan was invited to UCLA to lecture to a global pop music class. "The idea was to show students some of my experimental and pop music," Khan said. During his demonstration, Khan spoke about the the sarangi’s role in Hindustani music and the relationship to the voice. He also showed different playing techniques, and shared his own musical story, including the challenges he faces as a classically…

Wesleyan, along with Connecticut Students for a Dream, presented "Moving From Knowledge to Action: An Educators Conference on Undocumented Students" Nov. 4 in Beckham Hall. Undocumented students in Connecticut and nationwide face a broad range of challenges, many of those specifically related to education. These issues directly stem from a student's undocumented status as well as being disproportionately affected by other education equity issues. Wesleyan staff joined high school teachers, counselors, parent liaisons, community organization staff, future educators, and others from around the state to discuss ways educational institutions can better support and advocate for undocumented students. Attendees learned about the history and current…

Tsampikos Kottos, professor of physics, professor of integrative sciences, professor of mathematics, was awarded a $400,000 Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) engineering grant from the National Science Foundation in October. This $2 million grant is equally split among a consortium of universities, including Stanford University, University of Minnesota, and University-Wisconsin-Madison, and will last for a period of four years. The grant is associated with “New Light and Acoustic Wave Propagation: Breaking Reciprocity and Time-Reversal Symmetry” (NewLaw) and supports “engineering-led interdisciplinary research that challenges the notions of reciprocity, time-reversal symmetry and sensitivity to defects in wave propagation and field transport,"…

Chemistry, Physics Students Attend Biomedical Research Conference

Wesleyan Community Honors Military Veterans at “Salute to Service” Event (with photos and video)

Students Help Local Residents Prepare for a Thanksgiving Day Feast

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Begin 2-Year Research Projects in Michigan, Washington

Sumarsam Performs Shadow Puppet Play at Islamic Intersections Festival

Imai Presents Economics Research at Banking Conference, Macroeconomics Research Workshop

Grossman Speaks on the Wealth of 18th Century Middletown Residents

Green Street’s MacSorley Interviewed on iCRV Radio’s “Feel Good Friday”

Alumnus Slowik ’03 Returns to Wesleyan, Joins Film Studies Faculty

Graduate Student Khan Gives Sarangi Demonstration at UCLA

Wesleyan Hosts Undocumented Students Conference

Kottos Awarded Engineering Grant from the National Science Foundation