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…

Participants from the 14th Annual Wesleyan Open Golf Tournament donated $1,200 to the North End Action Team July 25. Pictured, from left, are Frank Kuan, Lou Onofrio, David Meyer, Lydia Brewster of NEAT and Sean Higgins. Posted 08/07/07 Eighty-three Wesleyan staff, faculty and friends took a swing at the game of golf recently, while helping out their local community. Participants in the 14th Annual Wesleyan Open raised $1,200 at the event and donated their earnings to the North End Action Team (NEAT). NEAT is a neighborhood organization created to develop grassroots leadership in the north end of Middletown and provide…

Pin-Fang Chen '09 examines an eukaryote at a magnification of 12,000 times using Wesleyan's new Transmission Electron Microscope. Wesleyan acquired two new high-tech microscopes. Wesleyan’s Advanced Instrumentation Center has scoped out better way to conduct infinitesimal scientific research. In the past six months, the center has acquired a new, state-of-the art scanning electron microscope (SEM) for 3-D imaging, and a transmission electron microscope for 2-D sample images. These microscopes are used by faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. “These microscopes are allowing Wesleyan scientists to conduct research at levels never done before,” says Joe Bruno, vice president for Academic Affairs and…

Cynthia Matthew, visiting scholar in psychology, and Steven Stemler, assistant professor of psychology, are developing tools which may identify creative and effective leaders. Posted 08/07/07 The U.S. Army is looking for a few creative leaders, and two Wesleyan researches are helping in the search. Steven Stemler, assistant professor of psychology, and Cynthia Matthew, visiting scholar in psychology, are creating a basic psychological research tool that will help the Army Research Institute (ARI) to identify individuals who possess “mental flexibility,” a trait which Army officials believe is important to more creative and effective leadership. “It might seem odd that an organization…

Valerie Gillispie, assistant university archivist, holds a rare book, which was featured on PBS's History Detectives in July. The book is stamped with the name and address of a 19th century female anarchist and possibly belonged to a deceased Wesleyan alumnus. Posted 08/07/07 In June 2006, a book was discovered in the Wesleyan stacks related to the Chicago Haymarket Tragedy marked with an unusual stamp on the cover. The book, written by August Spies, was titled Auto-Biography, and appeared to be stamped with the name and address of Lucy Parsons, a 19th century bi-racial anarchist who promoted better labor conditions.…

Neuroscience and Behavior major Jeff Walker ’08 speaks about his research titled “Does inhibition lead to greater spike timing precision?” during the Hughes Program in the Life Sciences Poster Session Aug. 3. Walker’s faculty mentor is Gloster Aaron, assistant professor biology, neuroscience and behavior. Posted 08/07/07 In the United States, approximately 80,000 adolescents try cigarettes for the first time each day. Psychology major Michael Raymond ’08 was curious to know why. As a fellow in the Hughes Program in the Life Sciences, Raymond had the opportunity to identify predictors of nicotine dependence onset in adolescents. He spent his summer working…

As part of the new Quantitative Analysis Center (QAC)-sponsored apprenticeship program, Max Wu ’08 worked with Steve Stemler, assistant professor of psychology and Cynthia Matthew, visiting assistant professor of psychology, on a project titled “The Concept of Responsibility Within Organizational Structures." Posted 08/07/07 Students had the opportunity to attend daily classes, workshops and conduct research with Wesleyan faculty this summer as part of the new Quantitative Analysis Center (QAC) apprenticeship program. The 10 undergraduate students enrolled in the program took classes in the morning, usually taught by Manolis Kaparakis, director of the QAC, or by another Wesleyan faculty member. In…

A formal dedication of the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center will take place in the courtyard at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7. Posted 08/07/07 For those of us on campus, there is no mistaking that construction is nearing completion on the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center. As is the nature of a project of this scope, the building is continuing at a rapid pace in this final month in order to complete the building for new students’ arrival on August 28. Leading up to arrival day, quite a bit of detail work is being completed. Over the next two weeks, several…

Posted 08/07/ 07 Last year, Suzanne O’Connell, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, attended a meeting with scientists from around the world. Out of the 40 participants, she was the only female. “This was 2006, not 1973, and with an organization that had had a pretty good track record for involving women,” she recalls. “It’s amazing to me that I was the only woman.” It is this type of disparity that inspired O’Connell, pictured at left, to undertake an initiative designed to retain more women in the geosciences. With support from a recent National Science Foundation award, O’Connell co-created…

Posted 07/11/ 07 All-American track and cross country runner Ellen Davis graduated in May, but more honors just caught up to her. Davis, pictured in the lead at right, was honored by the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA) in June as she was named a CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine third-team Academic All-American after gaining first-team District I laurels in cross-country/track. The 10 first-team picks from each of the eight districts (80 total athletes voted upon by all the Sports Information Directors (SIDs) in their respective district) appeared on the national ballot with three squads of 15 named Academic…

Marcello Simonetta, assistant professor of medieval studies, romance languages and literatures, is the curator of a recent exhibit “Federico da Montefeltro and His Library,” in New York through September. Pictured in Simonetta's hand, and below, are portraits of the Italian Duke da Montefeltro. Posted 07/11/ 07 In 1475, the fully-armored Italian Duke of Urbino posed for a self-portrait in the ductal library with his son at his side. This famous oil painting, pictured at right, containing a 500-year-old mystery, is the centerpiece of a current exhibit, curated by Marcello Simonetta, assistant professor of medieval studies, romance languages and literatures. Titled,…

At left, cross country runners Owen Kiely '06 and Ellen Davis '07 were named NESCAC All-Academics. Kiley and Davis are among 64 athletes to receive the honor. Posted 07/06/07 Sixty-four Wesleyan student-athletes from 28 sports were named 2005-06 New England Small College All-Academic (NESCAC) honorees. To become an All-Academic, student-athletes must have met qualifying criteria, including holding at least junior status academically with one year's residence on campus; being a starter or significant reserve on a varsity team; and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher. Founded in 1971, the NESCAC is a group of 11 highly selective liberal…