Campus News & Events

As a 2018-19 U.S.-Korea NextGen Scholar, Joan Cho, assistant professor of East Asian studies, will develop public policy skills and learn how to provide commentary and expertise on issues related to Korea. The U.S.-Korea NextGen Scholars Program is a unique two-year non-resident program that provides opportunities for mid-career Korea specialists to discuss issues of importance to U.S.-Korea relations with policymakers, government officials, and opinion leaders in Korea and the United States, learn how to effectively engage with the media, participate in the policymaking process, gain experience as public intellectuals helping to bridge the scholarly and policy communities, and address issues…

Michelle Personick, assistant professor of chemistry, is the recipient of a three-year, $339,000 Young Investigator Program grant funded by the U.S. Army Research Office. Personick will use the funds to support her nanoparticle research, which ultimately may protect military soldiers from hazardous chemicals and materials. The Army’s Young Investigator Program is designed to identify and support talented scientists and engineers who show exceptional promise for doing creative research, in order to encourage their teaching and research careers. The program is open to U.S. citizens, Nationals, and resident aliens holding tenure-track positions at U.S. universities and colleges, who have held their graduate…

The campus community now has the ability to tell time the way Egyptians did more than 3.500 years ago—by using light and shadows. A modern-day sundial, which mimics those used throughout history, now hangs on the south side of the Van Vleck Observatory’s 24-inch Perkin telescope. The six-foot-square structure is fabricated from 3/16-inch thick Muntz metal bronze with stainless steel reinforcing. "Campus doesn't have enough outside art," said Joyce Jacobsen, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "A sundial is a perfect piece because it's not only aesthetically pleasing but it's functional too." Bill Herbst, John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of…

This month, students tending Wesleyan's Long Lane Farm are harvesting a bounty of fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits, and duck eggs. From 3 to 6 p.m. every Tuesday, members of the Wesleyan and local community can purchase these organic garden goodies at an on-site farmer's market, located at 243 Long Lane. Long Lane Farm is Wesleyan’s own student-run organic farm devoted to allowing students a place to experiment and learn about sustainable agriculture. The produce also is sold at local farmer's markets, donated to Amazing Grace Food Pantry, or served to students in Usdan. Long Lane Farm was founded in 2003 by a group…

On June 25, American studies major Casey Rothschild '20 became the youngest woman, and only the third woman this season, to complete the course on NBC's American Ninja Warrior. The 20-year-old, who hails from Holliston, Mass., is a former member of Wesleyan's women's track and field team, where she holds the triple jump record. She trains three times a week at Real Life Ninja Academy in Windsor, Conn., and New Era Ninjas in Hamden, Conn. For the summer, she is working as a gymnastics and circus aerial arts coach at a camp in Massachusetts. After tackling six obstacles, including foam steps, spinning bow…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News NBC's American Ninja Warrior: Youngest Woman to Hit Buzzer: Casey Rothschild Rothschild '20 competed in the NBC television show's Philadelphia qualifiers, becoming the youngest woman to ever finish a course when she hit the buzzer at 4:57. Rothschild has been training for years and uses the moniker Circus Ninja because of her background in circus arts. Read Rothschild's interview with The Hartford Courant. 2. The Washington Post: This Is What It Feels Like to Be Separated at the Border Victoria Smolkin,…

On May 21, Jennifer Tucker, associate professor of history, spoke at the Arsenals of History Symposium held at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyo., May 21–23. The theme of the second annual symposium was "Ethics of Firearms in Museums." The symposium brought together authorities in the field to discuss practical guidelines for museums with firearms. Other presenters came from the Autry Museum of the American West, the Art Institute of Chicago, Colonial Williamsburg, Dutch National Military Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NRA Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Marshals Museum, Springfield Armory National Historic Site,…

Mike Robinson, assistant professor of psychology, neuroscience and behavior, and integrative sciences, is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The grant will be awarded over two years, starting on July 1, and will support a study titled "Dissecting Cortical Contributions to Risky Decision-Making." Robinson and his research students will use optogenetics in rats to inhibit parts of the brain's prefrontal cortex during the decision-making process. "The aim would be to see how we make decisions when faced with risk," Robinson explained. "Are certain areas of the prefrontal cortex involved in tracking the outcomes of previous choices…

Three undergraduates and one graduate student received NASA Connecticut Space Grant Awards from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC). The CTSGC is a federally mandated grant, internship, and scholarship program that aims to inspire the pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Astronomy and math major Nicole Zalewski '20 received a $5,000 undergraduate research fellowship to pursue her study on “Measurement of the Radar Properties of the Oldest Rocks on Venus to Constrain Mineralogy." Her advisor is Martha Gilmore, the George I. Seney Professor of Geology, professor of earth and environmental sciences, co-coordinator of planetary science, and…

David Schorr, professor of art, died on June 16 at the age of 71. Schorr was born and raised in Chicago. He received his BA from Brown University and his BFA and MFA from Yale University. He arrived at Wesleyan in 1971, and for the past 47 years he taught a wide range of courses including printmaking, drawing, typography, book design, graphic design, and calligraphy. He received the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2015. Schorr’s career as an artist and designer was as broad ranging as his teaching. He designed many posters and books, provided illustrations for numerous books…

Wesleyan faculty frequently publish articles based on their scholarship in The Conversation US, a nonprofit news organization with the tagline, “Academic rigor, journalistic flair.” In a new article, Associate Professor of Sociology Anthony Hatch writes about troubling ethical questions raised by the emergence of a new type of digital drug, which contains a sensor that communicates back information about the patient to doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Hatch is also associate professor of science in society, associate professor of African American studies. Digital mental health drug raises troubling questions Moments after Neo eats the red pill in “The Matrix,” he touches a…

President Emeritus Douglas J. Bennet ’59, P’87, ’94, Hon.’94 passed away on June 10 at the age of 79. "He believed that Wesleyan gave him so much, and he gave back unstintingly with deep affection," wrote Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 in a campus email. Bennet served 12 years as president, retiring in 2007. He oversaw the rejuvenation of the heart of the campus—from Memorial Chapel to Usdan University Center and Fayerweather—as well as the addition of the Freeman Athletic Center and the Film Studies Center. Bennet set an ambitious strategic direction for Wesleyan with two planning initiatives, the first of…

Cho Named U.S.-Korea NextGen Scholar

Personick Honored with Young Investigator Program Award from Army Research Office

Sundial Sculpture Installed on Van Vleck Observatory

Fresh Organic Produce Grown, Sold by Wesleyan Students

Rothschild ’20 Youngest Woman to Complete American Ninja Warrior Course

Wesleyan in the News

Tucker Speaks at Arsenals of History Symposium

Robinson Lab Awarded Grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse

Students Receive Research Awards from NASA

Professor Schorr Remembered for Creating Art That Addressed Comedy, Tragic Loss, Nostalgia

Hatch in The Conversation: Digital Mental Health Drug Raises Troubling Questions

Bennet ’59, P’87, ’94, Hon. ’94 Remembered for Accomplishments as Wesleyan’s President