Academic Commons, a Web site developed by two Wesleyan staff members and a staff member from Alma College launched in August.   Posted 09/09/05 Colleagues from liberal arts colleges interested in technology-related issues can read original articles on the topic, share their own ideas and even collaborate with their peers on a Web site launched this month called Academic Commons (http://www.academiccommons.org). The site offers a forum for investigating and defining the role that technology can play in liberal arts education. The idea for the project came out of a series of meetings that took place at the Center of Inquiry…

Posted 09/09/05, Updated 09.16.05 We The People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this, Constitution for the United States of America. –Preamble to the U.S. Constitution   We The People of Wesleyan University observed Constitution Day with a series of events Sept. 15-16.   Wesleyan’s observance is part of a nation-wide observance the U.S. Department of Education has mandated for all educational programs in all…

Posted 09/09/05 Wesleyan University will offer Connecticut residents enrolled at colleges and universities in areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina the opportunity to take fall semester classes at Wesleyan, and Wesleyan students, faculty and staff have begun to coordinate other efforts for relief opportunities. The university has reached out to students from Connecticut who attend colleges in areas affected by the storm. These students may apply for status as visiting students and enroll in classes on a space-available basis. Wesleyan will work with families to ensure that their total costs do not exceed their existing commitments to the schools in which…

Posted 09/09/05 Accessing creativity will be the topic of discussion during the fourth annual Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns Oct. 6-8 at Wesleyan. “The Shasha Seminar is a wonderful example of Wesleyan's commitment to lifelong learning,” says Linda Secord, director of alumni education. “We expect this year's discussion of creativity to be stimulating, giving participants newly informed perspectives that they will take with them as they return to their personal and professional lives.” Through a series of seminars and hands-on workshops, alumni, parents and friends will expand their understanding of the creative process and its impact on human endeavors. Past…

Posted 09/09/05 The University Recycling Committee has implemented a new campus-wide recycling system. Mixed paper, glass, metal, plastic, corrugated cardboard, batteries, printer cartridges and even old furniture can now be collected and recycled. “Recycling is required by law in Connecticut, and is the obligation of every member of the Wesleyan community,” says Bill Nelligan, the Wesleyan recycling coordinator and associate director of Environmental Health and Safety. “We hope that the Wesleyan community will join this effort to make Wesleyan a leader in waste reduction and environmental responsibility.” Nelligan says recycling saves resources, energy, reduces pollution, cuts generation of greenhouse gases…

Michael Singer, assistant professor of biology, discovered that the wolly bear caterpillar, Grammia geneura, ingests medicinal plants when sick.   Posted 08/17/05 When tiger moth caterpillars get a bug, they do what a lot of us do - ingest some medicine and hope it provides a cure. These findings by co-investigators Michael Singer, assistant professor of biology, and Elizabeth Bernays, regents professor emerita of entomology at the University of Arizona, appear in the July 27 issue of Nature. During a study of the caterpillars of two types of tiger moths, known as Grammia geneura and Estigmene acrea, Singer and Bernays…

Posted 08/17/05 A picture may be a worth a thousands words, but what is its value in the college classroom, especially if the picture is digital? This will be among the issues considered by a new digital image study spearheaded by Wesleyan University and the Center for Educational Technology. The six-month study will examine how digitized images of all sorts are used by faculty at 34 elite teaching and research institutions. The hope is that by assessing current practices in the classrooms, methods for more effective use of these images can be identified and implemented. "There is also an opportunity…

At left, Hughes Associate, Mellon Fellow and Earth and Environmental Sciences Major Maya Gomes '06 discusses her research with interested onlookers during the 17th annual Hughes Summer Research Program Poster Session Aug. 5. Gomes' poster was titled "Understanding the Genesis of Jarosite in Qualibou Caldera, Saint Lucia as an Analogue for Mars."   Posted 08/17/05 Chimpanzee studies, eating behaviors, mice brains and even sperm banks were topics of research presented at the 17th annual Hughes Summer Research Program Poster Session Aug. 5 at the Exley Science Center. After 10 weeks of intense research, 49 Hughes Fellows presented their projects. Hughes…

Posted 07/13/05 When it comes to fund-raising, Wesleyan is right on the money. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has awarded Wesleyan the CASE-Wealth ID Award for Educational Fund Raising: Overall Performance. Wesleyan competed in the Private Liberal Arts Institutions category. Wesleyan shared this distinction with eight other institutions, including Wellesley College and Williams College. “Wesleyan is already ranked highly for academic excellence, but now it demonstrates exemplary support of private education through its fund-raising performance,” says Mark Bailey, director of development communications. CASE, a nonprofit education association, supports educational institutions by enhancing the effectiveness of the…

Alex Dupuy, professor of sociology, is a native of Haiti and has traced the country's turmoil back to its revolution.   Posted 07/13/05 It started out as one of the most inspiring stories in human history: slaves rebelled against their masters, fought a long, bloody revolution and took control of an oppressive nation. But since that auspicious beginning, the history of Haiti and its people has been fraught with turmoil and division. During the last few decades, Alex Dupuy, professor of sociology, has been searching for reasons why, and sharing his insight not just with his students but the world.…

Wesleyan has partnered with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange for several fall events.   Posted 07/13/05 For the past three years, the Center for the Arts and Wesleyan faculty have partnered with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange to explore the ethical and social repercussions of genetic research. The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, led by MacArthur Fellow Liz Lerman, has been creating dance works that are metaphorical and powerfully visceral about the issues of the time. The Wesleyan-Dance Exchange partnership has resulted in Wesleyan serving as a lead commissioner of “Ferocious Beauty: Genome”, which will premiere at the CFA on February…