Olivia DrakePosted 10/02/07 Wesleyans Mathematics and Computer Science Department will host The Wesleyan Dynamical Systems Conference, Oct.13-14 at the Exley Science Center. The conference is being held in honor of Ethan Coven, professor of mathematics, emeritus. Dynamical systems, an extremely broad and central field of mathematics, is, at its core, the quantitative study of systems evolving over time. Scientists in many disciplines have come to realize and use geometric and quantitative techniques that have been the outgrowth of this field of study, says Edward Taylor, associate professor and one of the conference organizers. It cross cuts such major areas of mathematical…
After wearing through four pairs of shoes and speaking to hundreds of people in 12 states about war solutions, Wesleyan student Ashley Casale '10 returned briefly to campus after a 3,000-mile cross-country trek to promote world peace. Casale walked from San Francisco, Calif. to Washington D.C. this summer to raise peace awareness and discuss ways to take action nonviolently. Her March for Peace concluded Sept. 10 in front of the White House. "Overall, this was a great, eye-opening experience," Casale said to peers, deans and President Michael Roth during campus visit Sept. 21. "This walk was about peace, and (we…
Former Ohio State Ph.D colleagues Wai Kiu Billy Chan, associate professor of mathematics, and Maria Ines Icaza of Universidad de Talca in Chile, met for two weeks in September at Wesleyan to collaborate on planning a mathematics conference. Posted 10/02/07 A Wesleyan mathematics faculty member is helping to organize an international conference in Chile that will be only the second of its kind ever held. Wai Kiu Billy Chan, associate professor of mathematics, is co-organizing the International Conference on The Algebraic and Arithmetic Theory of Quadratic Forms 2007. The event will be attended by elite mathematicians from around the world…
Posted 09/19/07 For the past three years, Ron Jenkins has shared his office with a 10-foot-long Balinese dragon. But recently, his fire-breathing friend has found a temporary home inside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The professor of theater, who uses the dragon as a teaching tool on Balinese theater, lent his mythological model, pictured at right, to the museum last May. The dragon is part of an exhibit titled Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, which is on exhibit in New York through January 6, 2008. The dragon is a mythical creature that embodies the…
President Michael Roth '78 greets Betty Tishler, wife of the late Max Tishler, for whom Wesleyan dedicated a science lecture hall in his name. Pictured in back is Max and Betty's son, Peter Tishler. Posted 09/19/07 Science Center Room 150 was recently dedicated in the name of a Chemistry Department icon. Members of the Wesleyan community gathered outside the Exley Science Center classroom Sept. 6 to remember the work, mentorship and memory of Max Tishler. The classroom is now named Tishler Lecture Hall. Max Tishler touched countless numbers of chemistry students at Wesleyan. He was the president of Merck, Sharpe…
Posted 09/17/07 Though music by singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie still influences American songwriters to this day, a Wesleyan Ph.D candidate in ethnomusicology is hoping to draw attention to the influence of Guthries tunes and ideas world-wide. On Sept. 28, Jorge Arévalo Mateus, left, will present "Global Woody," a public program that focuses on Woody Guthrie's enduring musical and cultural legacy as it spreads internationally. Arévalo Mateus is curator of the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York, N.Y. Guthries American folk songs have long had the capacity to resonate with audiences beyond the U.S., however his international re-emergence seems to have taken…
Antoinette Zosherafatain 10, pictured in the front row, second from the right, and Katie Boyce-Jacino 10, pictured in the back row, second from the right, proposed a "Malaria Awareness Week" campaign for the United Nations Foundation. As national finalists, they had the opportunity to attend a retreat at the United Nations Foundation offices July 16 and 17. Posted 09/17/07 Every 30 seconds, a child living in sub-Sahara Africa dies from malaria, a virus caused by mosquitoes. Two Wesleyan sophomores want to bring awareness of the preventable disease to campus, and save lives through various activities and fundraising. Antoinette Zosherafatain 10…
With a snip of red and black Wesleyan ribbons, the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center officially opened Sept. 7 following a dedication ceremony. The three-story, triangular brick building houses airy dining facilities for students, faculty and staff, Wesleyan Station post office, ample meeting spaces, the box office, student organization offices, retail space, and café. A rear terrace provides a high-up view of Andrus Field, Olin Library, Foss Hill and College Row. "Today, after several years of planning and over two years of construction we have the opportunity to share our appreciation to the entire Usdan family and many of the…
Posted 09/17/07 Stephen D. Crites, the Hedding Professor of Moral Science and professor of philosophy, emeritus, died Sept. 13 of prostate cancer. He was 76 years old. Crites was born in Elida, Ohio and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he majored in philosophy and concentrated in music. He earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale and a Ph.D. in philosophical theology also from Yale University. He was ordained to the Methodist ministry. Prior to joining the Wesleyan faculty, Crites was pastor of Grace Methodist Church in Stonington, Conn. and taught at Yale Divinity School and at Colgate University.…
Posted 09/17/07 Deciphering codes and genomes, DNA replication and biological catalysis are among topics to be discussed during the 8th Annual Molecular Biophysics Program on Sept. 20 at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown beginning at 10 a.m. The event is open to the public. This years keynote speaker is Stephen J. Benkovic, the Evan Pugh Professor and Eberly Chair in Chemistry at Penn State University. Benkovic will speak on DNA replication. Benkovic is one of the leading mechanistic enzymologists in the world, noted for the versatility of his research. His work on the chemistry of biological systems has made important contributions…
Posted 09/06/07 Adriana Cohen Rostoker 08 always had a curiosity about how the body works. This summer, she had the opportunity to get a closer look as she worked with physicians and researchers on a rare type of cancer syndrome. As a 2007 Alvan T. and Viola D. Fuller American Cancer Society Junior Research Fellow, Cohen Rostoker was awarded a $4,000 grant from the American Cancer Societys New England Division to complete a 10-week fellowship. She applied for the fellowship last year, seeking an opportunity to learn more about the molecular basis and function of cells. I have always been…
Posted 09/06/07 Nine Connecticut mathematics teachers were named PIMMS Fellows on July 11 following 15 months of study directed through the PIMMS (Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science) Mathematics Leadership Academy (MLA) and a summer intensive program in 2007. This group the first to earn the distinction since 2001 will join more than 650 others awarded the title since the inaugural Vanguard Mathematics and Science Fellows of 1984. The MLA project, directed by PIMMS in partnership with the Hamden and Ansonia Public schools, was initiated in Spring 2006, with training provided during the summer and throughout…