Olivia DrakeConnecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently commended Elijah Huge, assistant professor of art, on his efforts with the Mattabeseck Audubon Society. Rell presented the Audubon Society with GreenCircle Award. The Society was experiencing problems at their Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary in Portland, Conn. with beavers who had changed the site so that access was a serious challenge. The Audubon Society welcomed Huge and his Wesleyan students to solve the problem. They designed and constructed a sustainable project under adverse conditions. They created a split frame viewing station consisting of a lower floating…
The Green Street Arts Center celebrates its fifth-year anniversary with an auction, entertainment and world cuisine. During Green Street's "A Feast for the Senses," participants will enjoy live performances, international foods, scrumptious desserts and a silent auction and raffle on 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 18. An online auction runs from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15. "'A Feast for the Senses' promises to showcase Green Street's unique kaleidoscope of offerings with live performances and interactive salsa workshops (bring your dancing shoes), while enjoying a delicious meal," says Jessica Carso, GSAC managing director. "Wonderful items and experiences are arriving for our silent…
When college students Chris and Robby woke up outside after their 21st birthday bash, they assumed their night included dancing, girls and a fist fight. But a friend later confirms the intoxicated duo spent the entire party outside lying on top of their cars. "What were we even doing out there, man," Chris asks a hung-over Robby. The characters "Chris" and "Robby," played by Christopher Correa '10 and Robby Hardesty '11 are two of four main characters in the new FutureHouse Pictures Enrolled web series. To date, the FutureHouse Pictures staff has created two episodes, screened exclusively through YouTube. Correa…
Corrina KerrProfessor of History Philip Pomper is making history of his own as he plans to retire from Wesleyan after 46 years in May 2010. Pomper came to Wesleyan after graduating from the University of Chicago with a doctoral degree. He had enjoyed the seminar style classes at Chicago and looked forward to teaching seminars at Wesleyan. "I always dreamed of joining the faculty of a small liberal arts institution," Pomper says. Not only did Pomper have an idea for the type of institution he was drawn to, he was compelled to be a professor even in high school. "After the…
In some models of origins of life, hot springs are considered to be one of the first environments inhabited by life. During the 2010-11 academic year, biology BA/MA student Jane Wiedenbeck '10 will use a NASA-funded Graduate Fellowship to study the evolution of certain microorganisms to discern how life may have originated and evolved under extreme conditions. Wiedenbeck, who applied for the fellowship during the fall 2009 semester, received a $20,000 award from the Connecticut Space Grant College Consortium. The Consortium is a member of the NASA-funded national Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, and serves to promote and support…
Lydia Tomkiw ’11 began studying la langue française in kindergarten, and as a College of Letters major, she was required to study abroad for one semester. Little did she know that that her first week in Paris would result in a discussion on the American political landscape in French. "During my first week, when I was still adjusting to everything, my camera battery broke. I had never been taught the vocabulary for battery and charger. I looked those words up and found a store. I walked in and felt a little nervous. But I was able to tell the shop…
David PesciThis issue we ask 5 Questions of…David Pollack, associate professor of mathematics and computer science. Q: How did you become interested in mathematics in general, and as an academic career specifically? DP: Mathematics was my favorite subject in school as far back as I can remember. At that time I had no idea that one could be a mathematician, so I imagined I would be a scientist or engineer. After my sophomore year in high school I was fortunate enough to attend the summer mathematics program at Hampshire College, where I was first exposed to professional mathematicians. I realized more…
Imagine being a college-bound high school student and getting the chance to sit down for a 90-minute question and answer session with a chief admission officer from one of the best colleges in the nation. Now multiply the opportunities of that session times seven and you have a sense of what a recent webcast hosted by Wesleyan offered to students across the nation. The Dec. 2 webcast from the Daniels Family Commons in the Usdan Center was produced by Unigo and The Wall Street Journal through their new partnership, "WSJ on Campus," and featured candid, live conversations with seven chief…
Wesleyan's non-commercial college and community radio station, 88.1FM WESU, calls on listeners to give the gift of WESU this holiday season during The Fifth Annual WESU Holiday Pledge Drive. The goal for this year’s drive is to raise $25,000 in listener support to sustain operating expenses throughout the coming year. As Wesleyan struggles to close a budget gap this fiscal year, WESU faces more pressure than ever to become a self- sustaining community service. To date, the station has raised $13,000. “To be able to keep pace with the revenue we in raised past years pledge drives in this tough…
Russell Perkins ’09 was awarded a 2010 Rhodes Scholarship. Perkins, from Evanston, Ill., graduated with high honors from Wesleyan University in May. He majored in the College of Letters (COL) with a senior thesis titled “Violence in Adornian Aesthetics and the Art of Anselm Kiefer;” his advisor was Khachig Tölölyan, professor of English, professor of letters. Perkins co-founded Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education which offers Wesleyan courses at Connecticut’s Cheshire Correctional Institution. In addition to offering education for selected inmates, the program provides research and volunteer opportunities for Wesleyan students and faculty. Perkins entered his name into the Rhodes competition,…
Wesleyan University will be hosting an interactive panel on admissions that will be webcast live and co-produced by Unigo and The Wall Street Journal through their partnership WSJ on Campus at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Usdan University Center’s Daniel Family Commons. The panel will feature the chief admissions officers from Wesleyan University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Williams College, Bryn Mawr College, Marquette University, Grinnell College, and the University of Vermont. They will discuss trends and current issues in admissions. The event will also feature interactive participation from viewers on the web, as well as…
Nineteen students are enrolled in a new grant-funded pilot program that provides classes taught by faculty volunteers and is administered by two graduate students. What makes this program different from any other outreach initiative by Wesleyan is that the students are incarcerated. "The mission of Wesleyan's Center for Prison Education" program is to practice Wesleyan's civic engagement by offering college courses to incarcerated individuals, in order both to enrich the lives of those who are systematically denied access to educational opportunities and to enhance Wesleyan’s academic community," explains program manager Cathy Crimmins Lechowicz, director of community service and volunteerism. The…